In India, one of Munnar’s tea plantations. A transmission tower, also called electric pylon, and the Western Ghats mountains are visible in the image.
Credit: DH Photo
The power purchased by Bescom has increased by nearly 65.45% over the last 15 years, indicating that the power consumption under its jurisdiction has increased drastically. From just 19,566 Million Units (MU) of purchase in 2008-09 to close to 32,373 MUs in 2022-23, the power consumption has gone up significantly, data accessed by DH showed.
While the officials are yet to calculate the purchase for 2023-24, sources said that the purchase could have crossed 40,000 MUs in 2023-24.
Over the years, there has been drastic growth in areas falling under Bescom jurisdiction. Rapid industrialisation and the booming IT sector have contributed to the significant increase in power consumption, Bescom officials said.
“The number of industries and IT companies has increased over the years and this has definitely triggered the power demand,” a senior Bescom official said.
Data showed that the energy consumption by High Tension (HT) users increased by 49% and the power consumption by irrigation pump sets went up by 52% in the same period.
While industrial and commercial consumption was expected to increase owing to the growth, the increasing population and affordability of electronic devices have driven domestic consumption. A whopping 122% increase in domestic consumption was recorded between 2008-09 and 2022-23.
“Firstly, the number of consumers in the jurisdiction has increased significantly over the years. Apart from the increase in consumer base, the consumption of the domestic sector, in general, has gone up since use of electrical equipment has increased owing to the increase in affordability among people,” a senior Bescom official noted.
Pointing out that domestic consumption contributed to nearly 27% of the energy sales, yet another Besom official said that the changing weather patterns and work conditions may also have had an impact.
“Compared to the last 15 years, heat in the city has gone up and now Air Conditioners are common in many households. Also, increasing work-from-home options might have had an impact on domestic consumption in the last few years,” the official said.