Peak power demand likely to rise 8% this summer: PSPCL
Posted On : May 18, 2024The summer months of March to May are likely to be hotter than usual across the northwest region, including Punjab, the IMD said last week
Amid prediction of record summers this year by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the power demand of the state during the upcoming summer and paddy season is likely to increase by over 8 %, according to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited.
The summer months of March to May are likely to be hotter than usual across the northwest region, including Punjab, the IMD said last week, while also predicting El Nino conditions to persist for most of this period, which could in turn result in a higher number of heatwave days.
PSPCL officials, however, claimed that they were well equipped to handle any surge in power demand as they had enough coal stock for the thermal power plants (TPPs).
As per PSPCL officials, power consumption in the state is likely to increase from the first week of April.
As per PSPCL official data, Punjab’s last year’s power consumption in April was 4,187 million units (MU) while it was 5,270 MU in May. By June, it increased to 7,053 MU and rose to 8,301 MU in July. This year, these figures are predicted to witness a hike of 8%.
“This year, we are better placed, especially in terms of coal stock. We are fully equipped to manage any uptick in power demand during the upcoming summer season. Besides, most of the units of government TPPs have already been geared up and they will produce more electricity as their plant load factor has already improved,” said a PSPCL official.
The official further stated that they currently had a coal stock of over 15 lakh tonnes available with them
Cold wave behind uptick in consumption in Jan, Feb
This year, Punjab’s power consumption grew by over 8%. It rose to 4,518 million units (MU) in February as compared to 4,188 million units last year. The long-duration cold wave conditions are said to have caused this uptick. As to January, the power consumption in the state rose by 7% as compared to last year’s. The power demand increased from 4,613 MU in January 2023 to 4,939 MU during the corresponding period this year.
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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. 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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
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