Power demand in Punjab crosses all time high 16000 MW YOGINDRA MOHAN / PATIALA 

With the start of paddy season and intense heat waves in Punjab, the power demand in the state crossed 16000 MW and touched an all time high 16078 MW on Wednesday. The power supply made by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in Punjab on Tuesday was 3390 LU. On Tuesday the PSPCL purchased 588 LU power through power exchanges. Today one unit of 660 MW of Talwandi Sabo tripped due to a boiler problem and as such more power purchase by the PSPCL is expected today. The unscheduled power cuts may be there in some cities. During the last five days power demand in Punjab has been hovering above 15000 MW. AS per available data on June 13 it was 15478 MW, 15815 MW on June 14, 15448 MW on June15,15030 on June 16 and 15484 MW on June 17 and 15930 MW on Tuesday. All the four units of Ranjit Sagar Dam project are running to bridge the gap between demand and supply. The reservoir level at RSD is 504.67 meters against last year’s level of 511.97 meters. This is more than 7 meters less than last year’s level on the corresponding day. The coal stock at all thermal units in states is sufficient except Talwandi Sabo thermal which has three days coal stock. As expected the maximum power demand of Punjab may cross 16500 MW in the coming days if there is no relief in weather conditions. The PSPCL can draw 10000 MW from outside Punjab sources including power allocation and purchases through the northern grid and for the balance 6500 MW and above gap is to be filled by the PSPCL from the power available in Punjab. The PSPCL set a new record of 3435.4 lakh units power supply on a single day on June 24 in 2023 and also set a new record of maximum power demand of 15325 MW on June 23 2023. Meanwhile, northern India has been experiencing high power demand conditions due to a scorching heatwave and the highest ever peak demand of 89.62 GW in the Northern Region was successfully met on June 18, 2024, as per Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC). Over the last one month, the northern region has been witnessing a record demand due