Power crisis: One-third of Punjab thermal plants shut

CHANDIGARH,APRIL 27:  The power crisis in Punjab has deepened as five of the 15 thermal stations have stopped generation, leading to a shortfall of 2,010 Mega Watts (MW) of electricity. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is forced to resort to prolonged lad shedding across the state. Sources said power demand in the state is around 7,500 MW. On Tuesday, PSPCL was able to supply only 6,700 MW. Both rural as well as urban areas are witnessing power cuts ranging from two to ten hours.

Of the five thermal plants, three are private and two are State owned. Together, they have a generation capacity of around 6,000 MW. Two units of 210 MW each at State-owned Ropar Thermal Plant stopped generating electricity on Tuesday. While one is under annual maintenance, the other was shut due to boiler leakage.

The other units are shut due to coal shortage. As of April 24, Lehra Mobhat Thermal Plant had a coal stock of 6.5 days while Ropar had a stock of 9.6 days. The stocks a Goindwal and Talwandi Sabo will last 3.4 and 6 days, respectively.  All other thermal plants are functioning at less capacity due to short supply of coal. The situation is worrying the authorities as the power demand in the paddy season starting June is expected to peak to 15,000 MW.

The daily coal requirement of the five thermal plants which have been shut is around 75 metric tons while operating at the plant load factor of over 85 per cent. Despite running at a reduced capacity, these units are not getting even half the daily coal requirement. As per the Power Purchase Agreement, the power generation companies, both government and private, have to maintain a stock of at least 28 days.

An official said the power crisis is due to inadequate supply of coal from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh as Coal India is selling the coal through e-auction at higher prices while the supply to thermal plants at notified rates remain limited. Besides, shortage of railway rakes is impacting transportation of coal from pit heads.

State’s huge power demand

In Punjab, the unrestricted demand for power shot up from 11,705 MW in 2017-18 to 13,148 MW in 2020-21. Farm and industry are some of the biggest consumers of electricity in the state.

-TNIE