Manipur’s Lights Go Out Again

Imphal: Manipur is switching off again. The state is facing a 90 MW power deficit, receiving barely 180 MW against a peak requirement of 270 MW, forcing the Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited (MSPDCL) to resort to rotational power cuts. MSPDCL says the immediate crisis is linked to inadequate rainfall affecting hydropower, disruptions in coal supply affecting thermal generation and limited availability in the power market.

Image: MSPDCL officials addressing a press conference at DIPR (file picture)

Those are legitimate explanations. But they do not answer a larger question:

Why does a state emerging from one of the gravest crises in its recent history remain so vulnerable to the next disruption?

The timing is particularly uncomfortable.

In February 2023—barely two months before the May 3 violence—the then Power Minister told the Assembly that Manipur was receiving around 23.5 hours of electricity a day, with peak demand estimated at about 250 MW.

Now, three years after the conflict began, rotational load shedding is once again part of daily life.

Image: Notification by MSPDCL

This is not to suggest that the present shortage has been caused by the conflict. MSPDCL has attributed it to wider problems in India’s power sector. Nor does one episode of shortage establish that Manipur has permanently regressed.

But it does expose an old weakness that remains unresolved: Manipur is heavily dependent on electricity sourced from outside the state.

And that dependence has consequences.

Image: Is MSPDCL failing Manipur?

When the national power system tightens, Manipur feels the squeeze. When rainfall fails, there is little domestic generation to cushion the blow. When the market becomes tight, a state with limited generating capacity has few options.

In 2023, there was talk of Manipur becoming power self-sufficient within two years, with projects including the proposed Loktak Downstream project and a planned 300-MW hydropower project cited as potential game changers.

Three years later, the lights are being rationed.

That is the real story.

Not simply power cuts, but the fragility of the recovery.

Image: A promotional Flyer for the promotion of pre-connection and recharge for regular power supply gone wrong

A state trying to revive businesses, attract investment, rebuild institutions and restore ordinary life cannot afford unreliable electricity. Every outage has a cost—in lost working hours, disrupted education, interrupted services and diminished confidence.

The people of Manipur have already endured enough interruptions to normal life.

The disturbing question now is whether the state is rebuilding—or merely learning to live with less.

CONTACT

Waari Singbul Office
Konung Mamang
Imphal – 795001

© Copyright 2023 Waarisingbul.com. All Rights Reserved