Punjab grapples with prolonged power cuts as demand peaks amid surge in mercury
PTC News Desk: Punjab is facing power shortages in several areas as peak demand touched 12,114 MW on April 25, the highest this year, triggering prolonged cuts across the state amid ongoing heatwave.
According to the official data, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) supplied 2,124 lakh units (LU) against a demand of 2,321 LU, leaving a shortfall of 197 LU. The deficiet triggered contained supply and long outages in certain areas.
Earlier PSPCL issued a notification announcing scheduled power outages
starting April 21 to 28 across major cities including Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda and Patiala, citing system upgrade works aimed at improving electricity supply.
A senior PSPCL official said the schedules electricity cuts in the rural areas last around 8-10 hours while urban sectors faced power outage ranging around four hours. “Actual outages were higher due to technical faults and local issues. Our teams were on the spot, but staff shortage and soaring temperature slowed repairs,” the official said.
To meet rising demand, PSPCL procured 372.85 LU of power from state-run thermal plants and 96.71 LU from hydel sources. Private plants at Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo contributed 297.64 LU and 339.92 LU, respectively. Additionally, 324.50 LU was bought through short-term purchases, while around 230 LU was exported under banking arrangements.
Coal reserves at thermal plants were sufficient, with stocks lasting 25 days at Lehra Mohabbat, 36 days at Ropar, and 24 days at Goindwal Sahib. Private plants also had adequate supplies, with 25 days of coal at Rajpura and 17 days at Talwandi Sabo.
Reservoir levels were higher than last year. The Bhakra Dam’s water level stood at 1,594.31 feet, up by 37.21 feet. The Pong Dam recorded 1,334.98 feet, compared to 1,293.73 feet last year, while the Ranjit Sagar Dam reached 518.34 metres, an increase of 17.71 metres.
- With inputs from agencies
