All seven available thermal units in the state sector are running at a slightly reduced load.
Punjab’s power demand crossed the 14,000 MW mark on Monday as the third phase of the eight-hour power supply for paddy transplantation began.
The power demand in the afternoon touched 14,182 MW at 3 pm – 3,000 MW more than last year’s demand during the corresponding period. Last year, the power demand during the period was between 11,025 and 11, 347 MW.
Sources with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) said it was drawing more than 8,500 MW from the northern grid while its own gross generation was around 5,600 MW. This includes the state sector’s thermal generation of 1,150 MW, hydro generation of 800 MW and 3200 MW from private generators.
All seven available thermal units in the state sector are running at a slightly reduced load. One GVK unit at Goindwal Sahib is under breakdown due to technical fault.
The last phase of power supply for paddy transplantation will begin on June 21 and after that the maximum power demand will cross 15,500 MW by June end. On Sunday, the maximum power demand was 11,997 MW and PSPCL supplied 2,446 lakh units. It also sold 16.8 lakh units through exchange.
The coal stock at Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar thermal plants are for 44 and 27 days, respectively, while that at the Rajpura private sector thermal plant is for 34 days, Talwandi Sabo for 6.5 days and GVK just for 2.6 days.
Water levels in the hydro plant reservoirs are better compared to last year. At Bhakra reservoir it is 1,577 feet, which is 19.5 feet more than last year’s level. At Ranjit Sagar, it is 511.97 metres which is more than 6.7 metres higher compared to last year.
Last year on June 29, Punjab’s maximum power demand of 14,207 MW surpassed its earlier record of 14,056 MW.
The third and fourth phases of power supply for agricultural purposes (for paddy transplanting) are on June 19 and 21, respectively. Normally the maximum demand and supply are in the last days of June when it is expected to cross 15,000 MW, said power expert and retired engineer V K Gupta, who is also the spokesperson of the All India Federation of Power Engineers.
Punjab had divided the entire state’s paddy transplantation into four phases so that eight hours of uninterrupted power supply is possible for every district during the transplantation.
Source: PTI
