Power demand in Punjab crossed 10,000 MW for the first time this year on Wednesday, even though the paddy transplantation season is still more than a month away.
According to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), the demand reached 10,298 MW in the morning. Officials say this is mainly because of increased use of air conditioners and coolers, as temperatures have gone up in the last week. They expect the power demand to remain around 11,000 MW until the paddy season starts on June 1.
Last year, Punjab recorded its highest-ever power demand of 16,078 MW on June 19, during the paddy season. This year, officials expect the demand to reach around 17,500 MW.
The thermal power plants in the state have varying amounts of coal stock. The Lehra Mohabbat plant has coal for 27 days, Ropar for 39 days, and Goindwal Sahib for 41 days. Private plants like Rajpura have coal for 22 days and Talwandi Sabo for 12 days. All units at Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar are currently working, but Goindwal’s units did not operate on Wednesday.
The water level at Ranjit Sagar Dam is also lower than last year, standing at 499.24 meters, which is 7.44 meters below last year’s level.
A former PSPCL chief engineer said that the power demand is likely to grow by about 4,000 MW in the coming years, increasing around 7% every year. He stressed the need to build two new 800 MW supercritical units and a solar power plant to meet the rising demand.
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