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Low rain, high temps keep Punjab’s power demand at peak-summer levels
Farmers’ greater reliance on tubewells for irrigation adds to power load, demand hovering above 16,000 MW even in September
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Persistently high temperatures amid a deficient monsoon and the ongoing paddy season have kept Punjab’s power demand at near-peak summer levels even in September, with the daily demand remaining above 16,000 MW for the past several days.
The state’s power demand touched 16,518 MW on Wednesday, against about 10,078 MW on the corresponding day last year, according to PSPCL officials. The demand has remained substantially higher than the corresponding period last year, when it was below 9,000 MW on several days.
Inadequate rainfall has increased farmers’ dependence on tubewells for irrigation, while the persistent heat and humidity has pushed up domestic consumption of cooling appliances.
According to the latest IMD data, Punjab’s cumulative monsoon rainfall is 39% below normal, the largest deficit among the major regions of northwest India shown in the department’s assessment. Punjab has received 243.4 mm of rainfall against the normal of 401.1 mm, leaving a deficit of 39%. In comparison, northwest India as a whole has recorded a 9% deficit, with 485.1 mm of rainfall against the normal 534.2 mm.
The deficient rainfall has meant greater dependence on groundwater pumping for paddy and other crops, thereby adding to the agricultural load on the power system.
In comparison, last year, Punjab received 41% surplus rainfall during the monsoon, highest since 1995, keeping the power demand considerably lower during the corresponding period.
The heat is compounding the problem. Despite September being underway, Punjab’s temperatures continue to remain well above normal. The IMD’s latest observations show the state’s average maximum temperature 2.7°C above normal. On Thursday, Patiala recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 37.5°C, while Chandigarh recorded 36.5°C, Ludhiana 35.2°C and Amritsar 34.9°C. Patiala’s maximum was 4.5°C above normal, while Chandigarh was 3.4°C above normal.
The combination of high daytime temperatures and humidity is keeping fans, coolers and air-conditioners running for longer hours, adding a substantial domestic load to the irrigation demand, according to officials.
Supply strained, unscheduled cuts hit consumers
In response to sustained elevated demand, scheduled and unscheduled cuts are being experienced in several areas of the state.
With in-house generation hovering around 4,000 MW, Punjab’s thermal power generation from its own plants has remained relatively low, leaving PSPCL dependent on power from outside the state.
PSPCL is drawing more than 11,500 MW from the northern grid to meet the demand, but the gap between demand and supply still remains.
During the daytime, PSPCL manages the maximum demand through cheap solar power, but has to purchase costly power after sunset to fill the gap.
The power-supply situation is further complicated by outages of thermal plant units and low coal stocks at some private plants.
On Thursday, two units of the Talwandi Sabo thermal plant and one unit each at Ropar and Goindwal were reported to be out of operation.
A senior PSPCL engineer attributed the power woes to management and operational lapses despite adequate generation resources. He said the state-run Ropar and Lehra Mohabbat thermal plants had sufficient coal supplies from the Pachhwara coal mine but failed to generate to their full capacity due to administrative and technical management issues.
Private IPPs, which had maintained adequate generation until August-end, are now facing coal shortages, allegedly due to inadequate monitoring.
The continuing weather-driven demand comes at a time when the state’s reservoirs are also under pressure from deficient inflows.
The Bhakra Beas Management Board on Tuesday asked Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to rationalise their water demand and submit fresh schedules amid below-average levels and declining inflows in the Bhakra and Pong reservoirs.
The PSEB Engineers’ Association, in its letter to chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday, had also flagged Punjab’s inadequate in-state generation capacity. During the peak summer months, internal generation falls significantly short of demand, forcing PSPCL to purchase electricity from power exchanges at higher prices.
The association had said Punjab’s growing dependence on power purchased from outside the state and private generation companies was resulting in a substantial financial outflow, besides exposing the state to fluctuations in power availability and market prices.
Punnerdeep Singh Brar, director (Generation), PSPCL, said the demand had reached an unprecedented level. “This is very unusual. We have never seen power demand crossing 16,000 MW in September when the power requirement normally starts declining after the peak summer and paddy-irrigation period. This is for the first time,” he said, adding that the peak demand during the summer had been around 17,000 MW.
When asked about the non-operational units at thermal power plants, Brar said the majority of the units currently out of operation were expected to be restored within the next 12 to 24 hours, which would improve power generation and help ease the supply situation.
