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Centre counters Punjab’s coal claims, points to ‘poor performance’ of state’s power plants
The PLF for the Ropar Thermal Plant remained at 36.4% in August, while the Lehra Mohabbat Plant recorded a mere 28.7%, marking a significant low for its recent operations. This decline occurred despite the fact that both plants have above 100% stock of coal.
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The all-time low Plant Load Factor (PLF) of Punjab’s state-owned thermal plants has not only caused widespread power cuts across the state but also sparked a war of words between the Centre and the state government.
The PLF for the Ropar Thermal Plant remained at 36.4% in August, while the Lehra Mohabbat Plant recorded a mere 28.7%, marking a significant low for its recent operations. This decline occurred despite the fact that both plants have above 100% stock of coal.
A day after Punjab accused the Centre of coal shortage, the Union government countered Punjab’s accusations by listing “poor performance” of state-owned power plants.
On Saturday, Punjab power minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond attributed the state’s massive power cuts to a severe coal shortage, accusing the Centre of failing to maintain adequate supply lines.
Industry and rural areas are decrying massive power cuts as PSPCL fails to provide adequate power. The industry is facing cuts of 6 to 8 hours per day.
Sources said five units of Punjab’s power plants remained out of operation for over 20 days. While the Ropar Plant has resumed operations, it is running at only 50% capacity because PSPCL cannot feed the coal properly, despite having an adequate supply.
The Nabha Power Plant, which has a maximum generation capacity of 1,330 MW, has been operating at roughly 50% capacity over the past few days, generating around 660 MW and resulting in a further shortfall of approximately 660 MW.
“When we appoint engineers with little to no experience to the generation wing of the PSPCL, this is bound to happen. The PLF of the Ropar and Lehra plants is at an all-time low,” said a power engineer, adding that the association had also flagged this issue to the government. The Goindwal Sahib power plant is the only facility operating at full capacity.
Citing Punjab’s poor PLF in August, the Centre hit back at the state over its accusations that inadequate coal supplies caused the power generation shortage.
“PSPCL operates three thermal power plants — Guru Hargobind TPS (Lehra Mohabbat), Goindwal Sahib TPP, and Ropar TPS — with a combined capacity of 2,300 MW. As on 04.09.2026, coal stock at PSPCL’s plants stood at around 117% of the normative requirement, reflecting more than adequate coal availability. Despite this comfortable stock position, the average PLF of PSPCL’s plants during August 2026 was only around 42%. The low generation during the month, therefore, cannot be attributed to inadequate coal availability at the plant end,” read the coal ministry press release.
In contrast, Nabha Power Limited, a Punjab-based IPP, achieved a PLF of around 93% during the same period, backed by adequate coal supplies from CIL sources, demonstrating that coal availability has not been a constraint for power generation in the state, it said.
Adequate coal made available to Punjab’s power plants: Ministry
The ministry clarified that adequate coal has been made available to Punjab’s power plants. Coal India subsidiaries have proactively offered coal to Punjab-based IPPs, though booking and lifting have lagged. The Centre even cited data to counter Punjab’s charges.
“Coal India Limited remains committed to maintaining uninterrupted coal supply for power generation nationwide, including Punjab. Higher utilisation of PSPCL’s own plants, coupled with timely lifting of the coal already offered by CIL subsidiaries, would help optimise power generation and address the state’s power requirements,” it said.
Punjab is facing a power shortfall of approximately 1,850 MW due to a nationwide coal shortage, according to sources familiar with the state’s power situation. This ongoing crisis has impacted both the state’s allocated share from central sector thermal power stations and the power generation output at the Rajpura thermal plant, sources said.
Data from state power authorities shows Punjab holds a fixed share of about 2,814 MW from external central sector thermal power stations. However, the state’s actual average availability from these plants is only around 1,621 MW, leaving a gap of approximately 1,193 MW between the state’s share and the power being received. Taken together, the average shortfall from Punjab’s central sector allocation works out to around 1,193 MW.
The latest assessment comes a day after Sond flagged the impact of the nationwide coal shortage on Punjab’s electricity supply.
