Industrial consumers in Punjab are bearing the brunt of a sudden power crisis, with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) imposing 8 to 10-hour cuts in major industrial centres, including Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Mohali, following the shutdown of one unit each at two private thermal power plants, affecting around 1,360 MW of daily generation.
The industrial cutbacks come as PSPCL grapples with a wider power crunch, with daily demand remaining above 16,000 MW amid unusually high temperatures and deficient monsoon rainfall. The state recorded a peak load of 16,519 MW on Saturday, compared with 12,489 MW during the corresponding period last year.
Domestic and agricultural consumers are already facing 3-4 hours of unscheduled cuts in several areas.
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One unit each at Nabha Power’s Rajpura plant and Talwandi Sabo Power Plant in Mansa has become non-functional, together affecting around 1,360 MW of generation. The two plants are private thermal power projects supplying electricity to Punjab.
Coal shortage hitting power availability in market: PSPCL
Confirming that industrial consumers were facing curtailment, PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director Basant Garg said the restrictions had been imposed on consumers not connected to 66-KV lines.
{{/usCountry}}Confirming that industrial consumers were facing curtailment, PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director Basant Garg said the restrictions had been imposed on consumers not connected to 66-KV lines.
{{/usCountry}}“The crisis arose after one unit each of two private thermal plants became non-functional, affecting our own generation by 1,360 MW,” he said.
Garg said PSPCL had attempted to bridge the shortfall by buying electricity from the open market, but availability there too was limited due to a nationwide shortage of coal.
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Officials said the industrial restrictions were a temporary measure to manage the sudden generation shortfall and maintain the overall power supply system. Industries not connected to the 66-KV network have been subjected to longer cuts, while efforts are being made to manage the demand-supply gap through available generation and power purchases.
They said the restrictions would be lifted once the power availability position improved.
However, industry has sought an alternative to the daily curtailment.
“I have spoken to several industrialists on this issue, and the common view is that instead of imposing 10-12-hour power cuts on a daily basis, it would be better if the government asked industries to shut down for one full day every week. Daily power cuts of 10-12 hours would cost us dearly. We are already in discussion with the power minister over this issue,” said Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) president Upkar Singh Ahuja.
Opposition attacks AAP government
Hitting out against the AAP government, leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that its failure to add generation capacity had left Punjab increasingly dependent on costly power purchases.
Taking to X, he claimed that while neighbouring states had planned additional capacity, Punjab’s own generation had remained stagnant even as peak demand had risen.
He said the power restrictions were hurting industrial production and businesses and alleged that workers were also bearing the impact. Bajwa asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann and power minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond to explain how Punjab could become a leader in economic growth amid such power shortages.
Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the state’s power crisis had deepened under the AAP, with farmers struggling to save paddy crops, industries facing restrictions and villages witnessing prolonged power cuts.
He said farmers were being forced to depend on expensive diesel-powered generators to run irrigation pumps, increasing their input costs at a time when they were already facing mounting agricultural expenses.
He alleged that the Bhagwant Mann government had failed to adequately prepare for the seasonal surge in electricity demand and demanded immediate steps to restore reliable supply to agriculture, industry and households.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal remarked that chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s claims of making Punjab a power surplus state had fallen flat.
He said the government had left the people of the state in the lurch with unscheduled power cuts in the scorching heat and humid weather conditions.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also criticised the government, saying the power crisis was affecting both agriculture and industry. In a post on X, he claimed that industries were being shut from 8 pm and farmers were being forced to depend on diesel as the demand-supply gap widened.
Majithia demanded that the government issue a white paper on the state’s power situation, alleging that the government was making tall promises while consumers and industry were bearing the consequences of the shortage.