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Punjab is facing acute power crisis
Amid depleting coal supplies, Punjab has further slipped into an acute electricity crisis due to the outage of two more power-generating units -- one each of Talwandi Sabo and Ropar thermal plants
Amid depleting coal supplies, Punjab has further slipped into an acute electricity crisis due to the outage of two more power-generating units -- one each of Talwandi Sabo and Ropar thermal plants.
Against the combined installed capacity of 5,680 MW at the five thermal plants in the state, only 3,327 MW power is being generated, even as the demand has already climbed to 7,500 MW. As a result, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited is resorting to unscheduled power cuts, especially in rural areas.
According to sources, one 660 MW unit of the Talwandi Sabo power plant halted generation due to leakage in its boiler. Already, another unit of the same capacity is undergoing repairs, bringing down the 1,980 MW plant’s generation capacity to just 660 MW.
Another unit of 210 MW has gone out of operation at the Ropar plant after developing a similar snag. Both the units will take at least two days to become operational, said sources cited above.
Only 3-day coal left at Goindwal Sahib
Even in terms of coal, none of the five thermal plants have enough stocks as per provisions of the power purchase agreements. The 540 MW GVK power plant at Goindwal Sahib has coal left for only three days. Earlier, it remained shut for a week, as there was no coal to operate it. Now, it’s producing only 200 MW power.
The other privately owned thermal plant at Talwandi Sabo has coal stocks for only six days, while the Rajpura plant has coal for 19 days. The government-run plant at Lehra Mohabbat has coal for just five days, while the stocks will last for eight days at the Ropar plant.
According to the guidelines, every plant that is 1,000 km away from a coal mine must have stock for 28 days. However, to reduce cost amid soaring coal prices, companies fail to fulfil this condition, it is learnt.
“The coal stock is critical and the chief minister has already taken up the matter with the coal and power ministry to increase the coal supplies before the onset of paddy sowing season, in which demand will peak to 15,000 MW,” said another senior PSPCL official, who didn’t wish to be named.
Rural areas face unscheduled cuts
However, despite the tall claims, the PSPCL is failing to meet the rising power demand, even at 7,500 MW of load. People living in rural areas, particularly where instances of power theft are high, are bearing the brunt due to unscheduled power cuts.
“Amid the heatwave, rural areas are already witnessing power cuts. We are ensuring electricity through diesel-run generators, which is a costly affair,” said Jasmeet Singh, a coaching centre owner in Amritsar.
The PSPCL, however, claims that there is no shortage and cuts have been imposed to avoid fire incidents in wheat fields.
