Chandigarh, June 10: Electricity consumption across Punjab hit its highest level of the year on Wednesday, driven by an intense regional heat wave and the commencement of the third phase of the agricultural paddy planting season. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited reported that peak power demand rapidly escalated to cross 16130 megawatts during the afternoon hours, triggering localized unannounced power cuts in several sectors of the state due to localized distribution stress.
The state utility maintained that power requirement expanded by more than 2000 megawatts over the last three days alone as farmers scaled up groundwater tubewell operations for their fields. Officials stated that while the current load approaches the 16192-megawatt peak recorded on the same date last year, upcoming regional weather transitions are expected to provide immediate operational relief to the overextended system.
“The demand has already touched 16000 MW and if there is rain in some places in Punjab, there will be no need to run tubewells for paddy in the fields,” a senior PSPCL official noted during a technical briefing. “This will ensure that the demand for power comes down. Apart from this, the number of air conditioners running also comes down significantly and we expect the demand to come down to 3500 to 4500 MW for a few days.”
To balance the unprecedented midday load, the state maximised its drawing capacity from the Northern Grid with an afternoon schedule of 10558 megawatts, while concurrently purchasing low-cost solar energy. Internal production facilities contributed more than 5286 megawatts on Wednesday, even though three crucial thermal generation units remained non-functional in Ropar and Goindwal due to unexpected mechanical malfunctions.
Industry analysts expressed concern over structural dependencies within the broader national energy framework during high-demand summer months. Representatives from the All India Power Engineers Federation noted that shifting standard consumer practices to electric platforms has merely transferred severe load pressures onto a different vulnerable system, compounded by rising fuel acquisition costs.
“The shift from gas-based power to electricity-based power has merely shifted the pressure from one stressed system to another. The increase in fuel prices has further exacerbated public hardship,” federation spokesperson VK Gupta stated regarding the grid strain.
PSPCL management affirmed that overall power availability remains sufficient to meet the state’s commercial and domestic commitments. Executive coordinators stated that any ongoing power suspensions are strictly tied to localized emergency situations or urgent repair work rather than systemic energy deficits.
