Punjab Power Crisis Hits Industry As Ludhiana, Jalandhar Face 8-10 Hour Cuts. Here's What Is Happening In The State

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Punjab's sudden power shortage is weighing on industrial consumers, with the state's major industrial centres facing prolonged electricity curtailments as the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) struggles to bridge a sharp generation gap.

Industries in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Mohali are facing 8 to 10-hour power cuts following the shutdown of one unit each at two private thermal power plants. The outages have affected around 1,360 MW of daily generation, Hindustan Times reported.

The disruption comes as Punjab's electricity demand remains elevated amid unusually high temperatures and deficient monsoon rainfall. The state's peak load reached 16,519 MW on Saturday, compared with 12,489 MW during the corresponding period last year.

Domestic and agricultural consumers in several areas are also facing 3-4 hours of unscheduled power cuts.

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One unit each at Nabha Power's Rajpura plant and the Talwandi Sabo Power Plant in Mansa has become non-functional. Together, the two units account for around 1,360 MW of generation.

Both are private thermal power projects that supply electricity to Punjab.

PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director Basant Garg confirmed that industrial consumers were facing curtailment and said restrictions had been imposed on consumers not connected to 66-KV lines.

“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 tried to make up for the shortfall by purchasing electricity from the open market. However, power availability there was also constrained because of a nationwide shortage of coal.

Officials described the industrial restrictions as a temporary measure to manage the sudden generation shortfall while maintaining the broader power supply system. Industries outside the 66-KV network have faced longer cuts as PSPCL works to balance demand with available generation and power purchases.

The restrictions are expected to be lifted once power availability improves, officials said.

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The prolonged daily curtailments have prompted industry representatives to seek an alternative arrangement.

“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.

Sukhbir Badal attacks AAP government

Amid the recurring outages, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday criticised the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the prolonged power cuts.

Speaking to reporters in Balachaur, Badal alleged that residents were facing outages of up to 10 hours and compared the situation with electricity supply during previous SAD administrations.

"Bhagwant Mann used to say that we give electricity for 12 hours a day. Where is that electricity? Where Badal Saheb provided electricity for 24 hours, now even 10 hours a day is being cut. They are failed people," Badal said.

Pointing to thermal power projects commissioned during the Akali Dal's tenure, Badal said the party would work to restore Punjab's power-surplus status.

"If the Akali Dal had not been in power, we would not have built so many thermal plants, and there would be no electricity in Punjab today. Even now I promise, I will make electricity surplus again. We will make up for these shortcomings from now on because, in these ten years, Congress and AAP have completely ruined Punjab," he added.

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Punjab Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond attributed the current crisis to high demand, technical problems at private thermal plants and the state's failure to receive its scheduled share of electricity from the central pool.

"The current demand in Punjab is 17,000 MW. Our current power availability is around 14,000 MW, which is a 3,000 MW shortage. The three main tasks are to highlight the 1,000 MW of power we receive from the central government, which is our right as Punjab. This time, we are not getting 1,000 MW of power from the central government," Sond told ANI.

Sond said state-owned generation units were operating continuously, while technical problems at private plants had added to the supply deficit.

"10 units, owned by the Punjab government, are running day and night, but there are two private units located within Punjab... Due to a technical fault, these three units were shut down. We lit up and started Unit 1 last night. 2 units will light up within 24 to 48 hours, which will help in meeting our power shortage of 2000 MW," Sond added.

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