Punjab grapples with massive power crisis due to coal shortage, three thermal units shut
At the private Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant, one of its three units has been shut since Thursday. One unit of the Rajpura Thermal Plant has also been non-operational since late Thursday night.
PTC News Desk: Shortage of coal has triggered massive power crisis across Punjab resulting in the closure of thermal units and subsequent power cuts.
At the private Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant, one of its three units has been shut since Thursday. One unit of the Rajpura Thermal Plant has also been non-operational since late Thursday night.
As of Friday morning, one unit each at the two private thermal plants and one unit at a government plant were not generating electricity.
Due to lower power generation, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is purchasing more electricity from the central pool. However, high demand has led to power cuts in several parts of the state.
Four days ago, Punjab Power Minister said that thermal plants in the state were running short of coal. He had warned that Punjab could face a power crisis if adequate coal supplies were not received.
According to PSPCL officials, coal supplies are arriving, but not in sufficient quantities, affecting power generation.
Punjab power demand and generation
Demand reaches 14,195 MW: At midnight on Thursday, Punjab's power demand stood at 11,655 MW. By 8.30 am on Friday, it had increased to 14,195 MW. During the day, demand has remained above 16,500 MW. Generation from the state’s plants was around 4,000 MW from Thursday night to Friday morning, while around 7,100 MW was purchased from the central pool.
Three thermal units shut: One unit each at the Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo private thermal plants remained shut. By morning, the private plants were generating around 1,700 MW. At the government-run plants, one unit each at Ropar and Goindwal was also shut. The Goindwal unit was later brought back online.