Dahej’s industrial units are reporting frequent power outages, equipment failures and voltage fluctuations that industry representatives say are causing losses of around Rs 100 crore every month, prompting demands for Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Ltd (GETCO) to strengthen the region’s ageing power network.
The industrial estate in Gujarat’s Golden Corridor hosts more than 400 chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, engineering and export-oriented units, with a combined annual turnover of over Rs 2 lakh crore. The cluster is anchored by the state’s Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) and is preparing for projects involving investments of more than Rs 1 lakh crore.
Sunil Bhatt, president of the Dahej Industries Association (DIA), said four major outages on September 13, 16, 19 and 23 caused losses of more than Rs 200 crore. The outages lasted between four and 10 hours, he said. Industrial units have also reported breaker failures, repeated tripping, zero-power conditions, voltage fluctuations, delayed restoration and shutdowns extending beyond planned durations.
“Last month, we faced four major outages — on Sept 13, 16, 19 and 23 — resulting in losses of more than Rs 200 crore. The outages lasted between four and 10 hours,” Bhatt said. He added that the concerns had been raised with GETCO several times but that conditions had not improved.
Dahej’s major power supply comes through the 220kV substations at Suva and Dahej, along with a network of 66kV substations at Dahej, Vadadala, Sambheti, Jolva, Luna, Galenda, Suva, Atali, Ambheta and Bhensali, among others. These installations are connected to major power sources from Vagra, Haldarava, Kosamba and another source.
Industry sources said disruptions at different power sources had, on some occasions, left nearly half of Dahej without electricity. They also raised concerns about relay settings at some sources, saying faults elsewhere could affect Dahej even when the industrial area itself was not responsible.
The outages have operational and safety consequences for chemical manufacturers, where production processes run continuously. Baldev Ahir, secretary of the DIA, said a power failure could result in the loss of an entire batch, with losses running into crores. He also warned that interruptions could increase the risk of gas leaks and other industrial hazards.
Dahej has developed major supporting infrastructure, including a 400 MLD round-the-clock water facility, a 100 MLD desalination plant, a chemical smart estate, a 40 MLD common effluent treatment plant and a 90 MLD effluent sea-discharge pipeline. Industry representatives said reliable power was necessary to use these facilities and sustain production at the expanding cluster.
DIA power committee chairman Mahendrasinh Rana said some plants, including polyester and resin units, take between 24 and 72 hours to return to stable operations after a major outage or voltage fluctuation. Vyanu Vyas, director of a major Dahej industrial unit, said some equipment was around 15 years old and required replacement. He estimated that his unit incurred annual losses of Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore because of power-related problems.
The industry association has urged GETCO to replace ageing equipment, improve protection systems, strengthen transmission and distribution infrastructure, increase technical manpower and coordinate with industries on future demand. Industry leaders have also called for faster fault restoration and advance planning before the next phase of investment in Dahej is commissioned.