LUCKNOW, July 9 -- The controversy over the revision of sanctioned electricity load for nearly 47 lakh consumers across Uttar Pradesh has now moved beyond allegations of higher fixed charges and lack of consumer consent to a more fundamental question: Can the existing electricity infrastructure handle the additional connected load? The issue has a significant bearing on Lucknow, where the electricity load of 3,87,304 consumers has been revised under the revenue management system (RMS). The highest number of revised connections was recorded in Amausi (1,63,343 consumers), followed by Jankipuram (85,448), Gomti Nagar (73,831) and Lucknow Central (64,682). Following SMS alerts informing consumers of the revised sanctioned load, nearly 3,000-4,000 consumers from these four zones applied for a review, alleging that the enhancement had been carried out without their consent. Meanwhile MVVNL MD Ria Kejriwal has defended the revision of sanctioned electricity loads, saying the exercise was carried out in accordance with the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission's (UPERC) Electricity Supply Code, 2005, and the tariff order for FY 2025-26. According to UPPCL, consumers who exceeded their sanctioned load on three occasions between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, had their sanctioned load regularised based on the lowest of the three recorded maximum demand readings. Unlike the earlier system, consumers are now informed after the load revision through SMS, as per the current tariff provisions. Domestic consumers exceeding sanctioned load are liable to pay 100% excess demand charges, while other categories face a 200% penalty. Once the sanctioned load is regularised, no excess demand charges are levied if consumption remains within the revised limit. Kejriwal said accurate load assessment would also enable discoms to strengthen transmission lines and transformers in line with actual demand, reducing network faults, transformer failures and improving power supply reliability. The Upbhokta Parishad said the sanctioned load of nearly 47 lakh consumers has collectively increased by 3,654 mw (36.54 lakh kW). According to Parishad office-bearers in Lucknow, 3.87 lakh consumers are going to face increase in load, which means demand of around 350 mw would increase. Such a substantial increase in connected load cannot remain merely a billing exercise because every increase in sanctioned demand eventually translates into additional pressure on transformers, feeders, substations and transmission lines, particularly during peak summer demand. Lucknow already experiences frequent complaints of overloaded transformers, repeated tripping, low voltage and local outages during periods of high demand. Increasing sanctioned load for nearly four lakh consumers without simultaneously strengthening the distribution system could further aggravate these problems. The Parishad cited Central Electricity Authority (CEA) standards to argue that during peak demand hours, the diversity factor reduces considerably, meaning the actual electricity demand approaches the connected load. According to the Parishad, Uttar Pradesh currently has around 480 operational 132-kV sub-stations with a combined installed transformation capacity of 69,529 MVA. Against this, the total connected load of consumers in the state has reached approximately 8.57 crore kW, leaving a substantial gap between the sanctioned consumer load and the available distribution capacity. The council said this mismatch is one of the key reasons behind recurring power supply problems during summers, including transformer failures, feeder overloading, voltage fluctuations and repeated outages. Chairman of All India Power Engineers Federation Shailendra Dubey said if the revised sanctioned loads reflect actual electricity consumption, the UPPCL will eventually have to invest in new 132-kV, 220-kV and 33/11-kV sub-stations; augmentation of existing sub-stations with higher-capacity transformers, additional power transformers at the distribution level, new high-capacity transmission and distribution lines, strengthening of feeders to reduce overloading and voltage drops; and modernisation of the city's ageing distribution network to accommodate rising peak demand....