As wheat harvesting has come to an end, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has geared up to meet the power demand for the paddy season. Sources in the PSPCL said the power demand would cross 16,000 MW against 15,300 MW last year. “We will not be surprised if the demand goes over 16,300 MW, given the current scenario,” they said. A senior PSPCL official said arrangements had been made to meet the demand with “enhanced power generation capacity within the state”, especially after the acquisition of the 540 MW Goindwal Sahib thermal plant. “Even enhancement of transmission capacity from 9,000 MW to 10,000 MW and additional power banking arrangements (3,000 MW) and solar power is likely to help the PSPCL meet the peak demand,” he said. Sufficient coal stock

Sufficient coal stock, higher generation from the Goindwal Sahib thermal plant, banking arrangements, and enhancement of transmission capacity to 10,000 MW means the PSPCL is in a much better position to meet the demand. — Baldev Singh Sran, cmd, pspc

with the operationalization of the state’s captive Pachhwara coal mine at full capacity, sufficient good quality coal stock is available at all the state-owned thermal plants. “At present, more than 16 lakh tonnes of coal is available at all five thermal plants, which is sufficient for 25 days,” said officials. Baldev Singh Sran, CMD, PSPCL, said, “Sufficient coal stock, higher (full) generation from Goindwal Sahib thermal plant, banking arrangements, and enhancement of transmission capacity to 10,000 MW means the PSPCL is in a much better position to meet the power demand.”

Sran added that apart from giving more than eight hours of supply to farmers, “no power cut would be imposed” on industrial, domestic and commercial sectors.

According to data prepared by the PSPCL, around 14.5 lakh tubewells would draw millions of liters of groundwater, which is already witnessing a depletion of 2.5 feet annually.

Ludhiana has maximum tubewells (1.17 lakh) followed by Gurdaspur (99,581), Amritsar (93,946), and Sangrur (93,669). These districts have shown a steepest decline in the water table. Farmers in Barnala and Sangrur have been extracting water from the maximum depth by using 17 BHP motors.

Experts suggest a tubewell pumps out 30.24 lakh liter water per week with an average of eight hours of power supply. As many as 108 blocks in the state are under the “dark zone” (where the water table has fallen drastically) because of the increasing area under the paddy cultivation