Previous
Next

10% increase in demand for power in two months

Posted On : May 18, 2024

Punjab’s power consumption grew by over 10 percent to 4,352 million units (MU) in February as compared to 3,911 million units during the same month last year. One of the key reasons attributed to this is that with more consumers applying for new power connections to keep bills under 300 units a month, the subsidy bill and consumption are increasing.

7.4 million units shortage

With 2024 being a leap year, there were 29 days in February. Thus the growth rate of power consumption in February is slightly higher. The power shortage was 7.4 million units this year. However, free power for domestic consumers has added a straight six percent increase per month. — Senior PSPCL official

8% increase in summers

A senior power corporation official, preferring anonymity, said that the power demand during the coming summer and paddy season in Punjab may increase by about eight percent as summer temperature will be on the higher side as compared to last year. As per IMD’s prediction, the weather will be hotter from May to June this year across northern states.

Rise in consumption

January 8.6% | February 11%

As per figures collected from the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), in February 2024, power supply by PSPCL stood at 4,352.7 million units, higher by more than 400 million units recorded in the same month a year ago.

As per official data, this year the maximum supply was 1,808 lakh units on February 25 while the maximum supply last year was 1,659 lakh units on February 18. The average supply on February 24 was 1,557 lakh units whereas it was 1,397 lakh units last year.

“There were 29 days in February as 2024 is a leap year. Thus the growth rate of power consumption in February is slightly higher. The power shortage in the state was 7.4 million units this year. However, free power for domestic consumers has added a straight 6 percent per month increase,” said a senior PSPCL official.

“Consumers are applying for new connections and in some houses, we have over three meters and none gets a bill as their consumption is under 300 units. On a conservative average, it is adding over Rs 125 crore per month in the subsidy amount,” a top Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) functionary told The Tribune.

It may be mentioned that the power demand in January in Punjab increased by 8.6 percent as compared to last year’s January supply due to intense cold waves and free 600 units of power for domestic consumers in a by-monthly billing cycle.

 

A senior PSPCL official, preferring anonymity, said that the power demand during the coming summer and paddy season in Punjab may increase by about 8 percent as summer temperature will be on the higher side as compared to last year. As per IMD prediction, the weather will be hotter from May to June this year across northern states.

Other News

  1. Privatization of the Power Sector in the State of Odisha.11th December, 2018
  2. How much thermal capacity must we add by 2030? 10-Nov-2021
  3. All India Power Engineers Federation on Tuesday condemned the central government''s move to amend the National Electricity Policy "to facilitate privatisation". According to a statement by the AIPEF, the proposed changes require extensive discussions as such time for submission of comments should be six months. When fundamental changes are being introduced by way of privatization of the power sector, there is no basis to rush through more so under extreme distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it said. "All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) condemns the government of India''s move to amend the National Electricity Policy to facilitate the privatization of the power sector," the statement said. The body alleged that this is a clear attempt to introduce privatization through the backdoor and deserves to be scrapped. The purpose of the central government is not to review or revise the existing National Electricity Policy but the total replacement of existing policy with a new policy to be recommended by the expert group so as to achieve privatization, the body alleged. As per Electricity Act 2003, National Electricity Policy is to be prepared in consultation with the state governments and Central Electricity Authority (CEA), a statutory body. However, the body said that the CEA is not included in the proposed schedule of discussion. Further, only 5 states have been included in an expert group instead of all the states, it added. K Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser, has stated that India is the only country that readily implemented a slew of reforms and used this crisis to herald a change in India''s economic thinking, it said. The strategy of government seems to be “never waste a crisis” and use the crisis of pandemic to streamroll so-called reforms by way of privatizing, it alleged. The draft proposal is of serious nature for which the present situation of a pandemic is a serious constraint, it stated. The Ministry of Power has once again found peak pandemic time as an opportunity in crisis to launch the draft amendments to National Electricity Policy, it lamented. Once the draft policy is finalised, the notified policy would have the status of “subordinate legislation”, and for this reason, the matters need to deliberate as in the case of the legislation itself or as in the case of amendment in the Act itself, it opined. Draft national electricity policy is pushing for more private participation in the power sector and launching sell out of public assets as at Chandigarh and Dadra Nagar Haveli, it noted. The preferred route being suggested are failed models like the franchisee system, transferring distribution responsibility to a private party, and separation of carriage (lines) and content (supply) business, it opined. Since the existing Policy is in force since February 2005 there was no emergency to totally replace it, while power engineers and workers as front line workers are already stressed in maintaining power continuity, it added All India Power Engineers Federation on Tuesday condemned the central government''s move to amend the National Electricity Policy "to facilitate privatisation". According to a statement by the AIPEF, the proposed changes require extensive discussions as such time for submission of comments should be six months. When fundamental changes are being introduced by way of privatization of the power sector, there is no basis to rush through more so under extreme distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it said. "All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) condemns the government of India''s move to amend the National Electricity Policy to facilitate the privatization of the power sector," the statement said. The body alleged that this is a clear attempt to introduce privatization through the backdoor and deserves to be scrapped. The purpose of the central government is not to review or revise the existing National Electricity Policy but the total replacement of existing policy with a new policy to be recommended by the expert group so as to achieve privatization, the body alleged. As per Electricity Act 2003, National Electricity Policy is to be prepared in consultation with the state governments and Central Electricity Authority (CEA), a statutory body. However, the body said that the CEA is not included in the proposed schedule of discussion. Further, only 5 states have been included in an expert group instead of all the states, it added. K Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser, has stated that India is the only country that readily implemented a slew of reforms and used this crisis to herald a change in India''s economic thinking, it said. The strategy of government seems to be “never waste a crisis” and use the crisis of pandemic to streamroll so-called reforms by way of privatizing, it alleged. The draft proposal is of serious nature for which the present situation of a pandemic is a serious constraint, it stated. The Ministry of Power has once again found peak pandemic time as an opportunity in crisis to launch the draft amendments to National Electricity Policy, it lamented. Once the draft policy is finalised, the notified policy would have the status of “subordinate legislation”, and for this reason, the matters need to deliberate as in the case of the legislation itself or as in the case of amendment in the Act itself, it opined. Draft national electricity policy is pushing for more private participation in the power sector and launching sell out of public assets as at Chandigarh and Dadra Nagar Haveli, it noted. The preferred route being suggested are failed models like the franchisee system, transferring distribution responsibility to a private party, and separation of carriage (lines) and content (supply) business, it opined. Since the existing Policy is in force since February 2005 there was no emergency to totally replace it, while power engineers and workers as front line workers are already stressed in maintaining power continuity, it added
  4. No need to privatise Chandigarh electricity department, Jul 16, 2020
  5. Navjot Singh Sidhu justifies 2-year-old decision, 08-07-2021