CHANDIGARH — Punjab’s power infrastructure is facing severe strain as electricity demand surged to a two-year high of 16,182 MW, even as recent rainfall failed to ease the mounting pressure on the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (Powercom).
With total available generation from all sources standing at just 4,114 MW, the state is grappling with a massive supply-demand deficit. A staggering 1,275 MW of generation capacity has been knocked offline due to the emergency shutdown of seven units across multiple thermal and hydroelectric facilities.
Critical Plant Outages and External Purchases
The generation shortfall has forced Powercom to procure expensive power from external sources to bridge the gap. Key units currently offline include:
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Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant: Unit No. 3 (660 MW) remains shut following a boiler tube leakage reported on Thursday. Officials indicate operations are unlikely to resume before Sunday.
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Ropar Plant: Unit No. 5 (210 MW) is currently offline.
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Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Plant: Unit No. 1 (210 MW) is out of service.
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Hydroelectric Projects: Unit No. 1 (150 MW) at the Ranjit Sagar Dam and three units (45 MW) at the UBDC have also been halted.
Impact on Industries and Agriculture
The widening deficit has directly impacted consumers across sectors, triggering widespread disruptions:
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Industrial Sector: Factories and manufacturing units are bearing the brunt through mandatory rotational power cuts lasting three hours and forty-five minutes daily.
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Agricultural Sector: Tubewell power supplies have been curtailed. Farmers are currently receiving electricity for only five to seven hours instead of the mandated eight-hour supply, sparking growing resentment within the agrarian community.
Strained Coal Reserves
Compounding the generation bottleneck is a persistent coal shortage across major thermal stations. Current stockpiles show stark vulnerabilities:
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Talwandi Sabo: Reserves sufficient for 6 days (critically low).
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Rajpura Plant: Reserves sufficient for 7 days.
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Goindwal Plant: Reserves sufficient for 13 days.
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Lehra Mohabbat Thermal: Reserves sufficient for 15 days.
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Ropar Thermal: Reserves sufficient for 29 days (deemed adequate according to operational norms).
High-Level Administrative Intervention
In response to the escalating crisis, Powercom has deployed its top leadership directly to the ground. The Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) along with functional directors will establish immediate camp offices at various thermal stations to oversee round-the-clock operations and maximize generation capacity:
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Dr. Basant Garg (CMD): Rajpura Thermal Plant
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Er. Harsharan Kaur Trehan (Commercial Director): Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant
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Er. Indrapal Singh (Distribution Director): Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Power Plant, Ropar
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Surinder Kumar Beri (Finance Director): Talwandi Sabo Power Station
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Er. Punardeep Singh Brar (Distribution Director): Guru Hargobind Sahib Thermal Plant, Lehra Mohabbat
Chief Engineers and plant heads have also been ordered to ensure continuous physical presence at their respective stations until stability is restored.
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