Chandigarh: Punjab’s power crisis has intensified amid a shortage of coal, with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) announcing a 10-hour power cut for industrial consumers on Friday night.
Powercom has issued a schedule for Category-2 feeders, under which electricity supply will remain suspended from 8pm to 6am. The restriction is currently applicable only for Friday night, and most industries are expected to remain shut during this period.
Power generation in the state remains dependent on thermal plants, several of which are operating below their full capacity. One of the three units at the private Talwandi Sabo thermal power plant has been out of operation since Thursday, while one unit of the Rajpura thermal plant also remained shut from late Thursday night.
As a result, units at two private plants and one government plant were not generating power during the period. PSPCL has increased purchases from the central power pool to make up for the shortfall, but high demand continues to put pressure on the state’s electricity supply.
Demand crosses 14,000 MW
Punjab’s power demand stood at 11,655 MW at midnight on Thursday and increased to 14,195 MW by 8.30am on Friday. During the day, demand was reported to be above 16,500 MW.
Generation between Thursday night and Friday morning was around 4,000 MW, while approximately 7,100 MW was sourced from the central pool.
Power cuts reported across Punjab
Long-duration outages have been reported in several rural areas, while parts of major cities are also facing unscheduled interruptions. Residents in areas of Ludhiana, Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Patiala and Hoshiarpur, among other cities, have reported repeated tripping.
According to PSPCL engineers, rising demand is causing fluctuations in the power system and triggering grid trips, resulting in outages of around one to two hours in some areas.
Among the thermal units affected, one unit each at Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo remained shut. The private plants generated around 1,700 MW by Friday morning. At the government plants, one unit each at Ropar and Goindwal was also shut, although the Goindwal unit was later restored.
