Punjab has been reeling under an unprecedented power shortage with urban and rural areas facing long hours of load shedding amid scorching heat.

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The severe power crisis worsened when a second unit at the Talwandi Sabo power plant malfunctioned early Sunday morning. The breakdown caused a shortfall of 660 MW of electricity in the state.

Here is all you need to know about Punjab’s power crisis.

What is causing the power crisis in Punjab?

In essence, the power crisis is one of supply and demand. With the paddy season at its peak, agricultural consumption of electricity, for operating borewell pumps, equipment and other necessities for transplantation, has jumped manifold. Absent monsoon and intense heat have increased domestic consumption.

These two factors in conjunction, along with a general increase in electrical demand, have seen the demand touch 14,225 MW. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) was only able to supply 12,800 MW of electricity. It is this shortfall of nearly 1,500 MW that is causing the unprecedented power crisis in the state.

Why is PSPCL not able to meet demands?

Basing its peak prediction on the past two years consumption, 13,633 MW in 2019 and 13,150 MW in 2020, the PSPCL arranged for 13,000 MW of supply. If more accurate predictions were made, then the authorities could have started the process of reviving 880 MW of power through power plants that had been shut down.

The thermal plant in Bathinda and two others in Ropar were closed in 2018, with plans of replacing them with other sources. Another unit at the Talwandi Sabo power plant is dormant, in need of repairs. The unit, capable of producing 660 MW, has stayed shut since March.

Former PSPCL chairman Baldev Singh Sra said. “When there will be no financial liability on the private plants, why would they expedite repairs.”

While PSPCL is able to buy energy from other states, it has failed to maximise the generation at 220-kV level units during periods of high demand.

And even if the PSPCL managed to get more electricity from other states, its total transmission capacity is only 13,000 MW. The PSTCL failure to improve the transmission system in the state has also been blamed for the crisis.

All sectors suffer

Paddy season is crucial for farmers and with the erratic supply of electricity, farmers are going to incur huge losses.

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh promised last week that the agricultural sector will be prioritised for an uninterrupted power supply and the state would continue to subsidise electricity to farmers.

As a result, curbs were placed on heavy and large industrial sectors. Large-scale industries, steel rolling mills and furnaces in Central, South, North and border zones of Punjab have mandatory days off in order to reduce power consumption. The compulsory offs would end on July 7 for South Zone, July 4 for the North Zone, and July 4 to 5 for the Central Zone.

The reduced consumption of power, along with brief respite from scorching temperatures had seen Sunday’s peak demand dip to 12,056 MW.

Reduced office hours

Punjab government also reduced the working hours of all government offices from 8 am to 2 pm, and also banned the use of air conditioners in office premises, before revoking the latter in view of the extreme heat.

(Edited by : Aditi Gautam)