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Ludhiana: PSPCL’s maintenance work hit as summer load rises
With the city witnessing heavy electricity consumption due to the ongoing heatwave, PSPCL teams are struggling to get adequate shutdown time required for major field operations
The outage reduction plan (ORP) of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), launched to reduce recurring electricity interruptions, is witnessing a slowdown in execution as soaring temperatures and power demand have left officials with limited shutdown windows for maintenance work.
The large-scale infrastructure project, which includes feeder deloading, installation of new transformers, and augmentation of overloaded distribution transformers (DTs), was launched in July 2025 with a target to substantially complete all the work by March 2027. Officials said the project aims to improve reliability and minimise unscheduled outages across the city, especially during peak summer months.
However, with the city witnessing heavy electricity consumption due to the ongoing heatwave, PSPCL teams are struggling to get adequate shutdown time required for major field operations.
Officials said technical maintenance and augmentation works generally require nearly eight-hour shutdowns, but field teams are currently permitted only around four-hour cuts to avoid prolonged disruptions to consumers during extreme weather conditions.
According to internal progress data of the central zone in Ludhiana, ORP works are continuing but at a comparatively slower pace than originally planned. Under the MC+ULB category, feeder deloading, new DT installations and transformer augmentation works are still underway, with several targets yet to be fully achieved due to restricted shutdowns.
Power officials said the ORP is one of the most significant distribution strengthening exercises currently underway in the city, including load balancing, feeder bifurcation and transformer capacity enhancement to reduce system stress during high-demand periods. Officials added that once fully implemented, the project is expected to significantly improve supply stability and reduce repeated local faults that often trigger outages in summer.
Chief engineer (central zone) Jagdev Singh Hans said the department is facing operational constraints because uninterrupted supply has become a priority due to the ongoing heat conditions.
“For proper maintenance and infrastructure upgradation works, we ideally require longer shutdown periods. But due to extreme heat and rising electricity demand, we cannot impose extended power cuts on consumers at present. Because of that, the pace of work has naturally slowed,” he said.
He added that PSPCL intends to accelerate pending works once weather conditions become favourable. “As soon as the weather cools down and demand pressure eases, we will push the work aggressively and recover the delay,” he said.
