Punjab on Tuesday braced for massive power cuts after running completely out of power, with coal stocks in the state drying up fully as a result of the prolonged suspension of goods supply trains by the Railways.
As day-time power shortage rose to 1000-1500 MW, with last of the state’s power plants, GVK Thermal, also running out of power, the Power Department has been left with no option but to impose power cuts on all residential, commercial and agricultural consumers beginning Tuesday evening.
According to a government spokesperson, at present, the day demand in the state stands at about 5100-5200 MW and night demand is about 3400 MW. Supply, on the other hand, is totally inadequate with only Agricultural Power (AP) load of vegetable feeders (800 MW) being given supply for 4-5 hours during day time every day. The other AP load is currently insignificant (about 300 MW).
The situation, said the spokesperson, was grim as PSPCL was left with no generation control and market rates of power continued to be highly volatile and could further spike any time, resulting in increase in the cost of power purchase, on which the state is now completely dependent to feed its cables.
Due to the increase in market rates leading to lesser clearance of day-ahead power, load shedding had to be carried out on Tuesday on all AP/vegetable and Urban Pattern Power Supply (UPS) in rural feeders early in the morning.
Otherwise too, load shedding is now being carried out regularly on various feeders of the state after 4 pm for 4-5 hours every day, while AP/vegetable supply is also being curtailed on regular basis, said the spokesperson.