Four thermal units in Punjab develop snag, power generation dips by 1,410 MW
One unit of Talwandi Sabo, 2 units of Goindwal and a unit of Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant shut due to boiler and turbine issues, will restart by Tuesday: Officials
Adding to the woes of Punjab State Power Corporation (PSPCL) amid sweltering heat and ongoing paddy sowing season, four thermal units in three plants across the state stopped functioning on Sunday.
The interruptions have resulted in a power generation loss of 1,410 MW, which is nearly 25% of the total thermal power generation capacity (5,680MW).
According to the daily report published by the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) on Sunday, four units were not able to operate uninterruptedly today due to ‘boiler and turbine issues’ and are likely to be functional by Tuesday.
The PSPCL officials, on the condition of anonymity, said that one unit of the Talwandi Sabo thermal plant, operated by private sector, having a power generation capacity of 660 MW, shut down on Sunday due to boiler related issues. The official added that this unit couldn’t be fixed and would be functional by Tuesday.
At Goindwal Thermal Plant both units went offline on Sunday, the data revealed.
PSPCL official said that one unit was down because of boiler issue while the other unit was non-functional because of a turbine issue. The power generation capacity of each unit of this plant is 270 MW.
Additionally, one unit of Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Plant, having a capacity of 210 MW, was also non-functional due to a boiler issue and would start functioning by Tuesday.
Confirming the hiccups, a senior official of PSPCL, pleading anonymity, said, “The non-functional unit of Talwandi Sabo thermal plant is likely to be functional by tomorrow (Monday) morning. Of the two non-functional units of the Goindwal thermal plant, one will be functional by tomorrow while the other unit will be functional by Tuesday. Similarly, the one non-operational unit of Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant will also be functional by Tuesday morning.”
As per the available data, PSPCL was drawing more than 10,000 MW from the northern grid (central pool).
“When thermal plants operate continuously at their full capacity, boiler issues are likely to happen,” a senior PSPCL official added.
The above-quoted official said that in case the heatwave leads to a surge in the power demand on Monday, then things could get difficult.
PSPCL officials said all the thermal plants had an adequate amount of coal, and the situation remains under control. Lehra Mohabbat has 19 days of coal stock, Ropar has 32, Goindwal 26, Rajpura 28, and Talwandi Sabo has 22 days of stock.
Power demand dips amid light showers
Cloudy weather conditions and light drizzle in some parts of Punjab on Sunday provided slight relief from the scorching heat.
The maximum temperature, which had been hovering in the range of 41-45 degrees at most places in the last several days, registered a slight drop though they settled close to the normal limits.
The PSPCL data revealed that the power load on Sunday slipped below 15,000 MW for the first time in five days. For the past five days, the daily load was more than 16000 MW with power demand peaking on Saturday to 16,453 MW.
“The maximum demand on Sunday remained around 15,000 MW due to thunderstorms in some parts of Punjab. The other thermal units in the government and private sector are working at 50% capacity as the power demand has dipped due to the change in weather conditions,” said another official.
According to the local Met department, Patiala and Ferozepur received light showers.
Patiala recorded a maximum temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius, Amritsar 39.5 degrees, Ludhiana 38.6 degrees, Pathankot 39.8 degrees, Ferozepur 39 degrees, Gurdaspur 39 degrees and Bathinda 42.2 degrees.
In Haryana, Narnaul and Rohtak were among the few areas that received rain.
Narnaul recorded a maximum temperature of 38.5 degrees Celsius, Rohtak 34.6 degrees, Karnal 34 degrees and Ambala 36.5 degrees, while Sirsa continued to be the hottest place in the state, recording a high of 41.4 degrees Celsius.
Hisar recorded a maximum temperature of 39 degrees. According to the Met office, as compared to Saturday, there was a fall of 4.9 degrees in average maximum temperature in Punjab on Sunday and by 6.3 degrees in Haryana.
