Humidity, paddy push Punjab’s power demand to all-time high

On Friday, the state’s maximum power consumption touched 16, 983 MW, surpassing the previous all-time high of 16,754 MW on June 28 this year

Despite normal daytime temperatures amid monsoon, Punjab’s power demand soared to an all-time high on Friday, possibly fuelled by the prevailing high humidity and heavy tubewell usage for paddy transplantation.

A senior official of PSPCL, while talking to HT, said the unprecedented highest power demand could be the result of humid weather conditions and the use of tubewells by farmers for paddy transplantation. (HT file)

Traditionally, Punjab witnesses maximum power demand in June when heatwave conditions, coupled with usage of 14.5 lakh irrigation tubewells in the state for paddy transplantation, shoots up.

However, on Friday, the state’s maximum power consumption touched 16, 983 MW, surpassing the previous all-time high of 16,754 MW on June 28 this year.

PSPCL officials said to meet the demand, they were drawing around 10, 400 MW from the northern grid while the PSPCL’s own generation was around 6,371 MW.

As per the country’s nodal weather agency, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Punjab’s average maximum temperature on Friday was normal. This was after several parts of the state witnessed light to moderate rainfall activity. The highest maximum temperature in the state was 37.9°C in Bathinda.

This year, the Punjab government had advanced the date of paddy transplantation from June 20 to June 1. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann had termed the move beneficial for farmers so that the best quality crop reached mandis and was readily procured.

However, considering the soaring power demand even in July, it seems majority of farmers have started transplanting paddy only now.