Punjab’s power crisis has intensified as rising electricity demand, low coal stocks and shutdowns at thermal power plants have led to extended power cuts across the state. Industrial areas have been particularly affected, with power supply scheduled to remain suspended for up to 10 to 12 hours during the night.
On Friday, Punjab’s peak electricity demand reached 16,619 MW, while power generation stood at around 4,472 MW by 5 PM and the demand is significantly higher than the state’s normal requirement of around 15,000 MW.
The shortage has affected both residential and industrial consumers.
Powercom initially imposed a 45-minute power cut in rural areas on Friday. Later, as the shortage worsened, industrial consumers were informed about power cuts from 8 PM to 6 AM the following morning and departmental sources said similar restrictions are expected to continue for the next three days.
In Ludhiana, more than 2,400 industrial units were affected by the night-time cuts and around 400 units operating night shifts, employing more than 100,000 workers, were reportedly impacted, with workers being sent home due to the lack of electricity.
Jalandhar’s industrial sector has also reported major disruption. Around 3,000 factories have been affected by the power shortage, particularly units involved in manufacturing tractor parts, machine parts, valves and pipe fittings.
Tejinder Singh Bhasin, President of the Udyog Nagar Manufacturers Association, said prolonged power cuts could affect the supply chain of local industries and said delays in supplying goods could lead major buyers to look towards manufacturers in other cities.
Gursharan Singh, Convener of the Joint Action Committee, said industries were facing difficulties because of the sudden power cuts and he questioned how tax-paying industries would continue operations if electricity supply remained disrupted.
Prakash Yadav, a worker, said employees dependent on daily work were struggling to manage their expenses after losing several workdays due to power cuts.
The power shortage has been linked to the shutdown of generating units at multiple thermal power plants. Technical problems resulted in one unit each at NPL Nabha, Talwandi Sabo and Ropar going offline, and together, these units represent around 1,570 MW of generating capacity.
Earlier, units at the Lehra Mohabbat, Talwandi Sabo and Ropar thermal power plants had also been affected and with these shutdowns, Punjab faced a reported power deficit of around 2,000 MW, against a total generation capacity of approximately 5,600 MW from the affected system.
Powercom Director Inderpal Singh said efforts were underway to restore the affected thermal units and address the shortage and he said the night-time power cuts were imposed because of the severe gap between electricity demand and available supply.
Departmental sources have cited three major factors behind the crisis: shortage of coal, weak monsoon conditions and unusually high electricity demand. Demand has climbed to around 16,000 MW compared with the normal level of approximately 15,000 MW.
The power shortage comes amid humid and sultry weather in Punjab and despite rainfall in some areas, the state has experienced below-normal rainfall overall.
Weather conditions also contributed to fluctuations in electricity demand.
On Friday, Bathinda recorded Punjab’s highest maximum temperature at 38°C and several areas remained humid during the day, while heavy late-night rainfall in Pathankot brought some relief and caused a slight drop in the minimum temperature.
According to the weather forecast, Punjab is expected to receive heavy rain is possible at isolated places on September 13 and 14, but for now, industrial consumers and residents in several areas continue to face power restrictions, while authorities work to restore generation from the affected thermal power units.