Following searing heat and the increasing demand for farm power supply, Punjab recorded one of the highest power demands ever for the month of May with the demand crossing 14,000 MW.
While some parts of the state witnessed power pangs, the power officials attributed these to technical faults and “not power cuts”, as they said ample power was available.
With temperatures hovering around 45 degrees, the power demand in Punjab crossed 14,000 MW on Monday for the first time in the history of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in the month of May. The demand could further rise with three more days of heat wave.
A senior PSPCL official confirmed that in usual circumstances the power demand for the non-agriculture sector in Punjab is somewhere between 9,000 MW and 9,500 MW during summer months. “During paddy season the demand for the agriculture sector adds another 5,500 to 6,000 MW. However, with the sudden rise in the mercury in May the power demand is headed north and we are already touching 14,000 MW during day hours,” said the official.
On Monday, the power demand crossed 14,000 MW and at the time of load exceeding the 14000 MW mark, the PSPCL was drawing more than 8,700 units from the Northern grid and 5,300 from its own sources. The power demand in May has increased by more than 16 per cent as compared to the same month last year.
As per PSPCL data, last year, the maximum demand was 11,987 MW on May 23, while it breached the 10,000 MW demand only for three days while for the rest of month it was between 7,245 MW and 9,760 MW. The maximum power supply was 2,333 LU (lakh units) on May 23. The average power supply was around 1,700 lakh units per day. The average daily supply by PSPCL has also increased by around 21 per cent from 1,700 lakh units per day last May to 2,070 lakh units per day this year.
As per PSPCL report, Punjab’s daily own generation has improved this year after taking over Goindwal Sahib thermal plant and is around 325 lakh units. The coal stock at all three state-run plants is for between 19 and 27 days each. In the private sector, Rajpura thermal plant has 25 days’ coal stock.
A PSPCL official said Punjab has seen a consistent rise in the demand for power for the past four months. The maximum power demand in the last financial year was 15,325 MW, but this year it will touch the 16,500 MW mark.
Talking to The Tribune, a senior PSPCL official, privy to the developments, said no scheduled or unscheduled cuts are imposed in any area of the state and some pockets faced snags due to faults in the lines or transformers. “We are making use of solar power available and giving supply to all agriculture feeders during day; the demand drops to 10,000 MW in the late evening and further dips down to 8,500 MW after midnight till morning,” he said, adding that the high demand of 14,000 MW itself is a testimony to the sufficient power supply fed to Punjab consumers.