Punjab’s electricity crisis has intensified, with power demand crossing a record 16,000 MW and industries facing prolonged outages across the state. As factories struggle with extended power cuts, the Bhagwant Mann government has said the situation could take another two days to stabilise, while maintaining that Punjab itself does not face a shortage of coal or funds.
Minister Says Crisis Will Ease in Two Days
Punjab Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond, addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on Saturday, said the electricity crisis would take around two more days to resolve. He said the state government was in touch with the Centre and attributed the worsening situation partly to inadequate electricity being received from the central pool.
Sond maintained that Punjab has sufficient funds and rejected allegations that the state is facing a financial crisis affecting the power sector. He also accused opposition parties of politicising the situation and spreading misinformation about coal supplies and government finances.
Private Thermal Plants Face Coal Constraints
The minister said Punjab does not have a direct shortage of coal, but private thermal power plants are facing difficulties because they have not been receiving adequate coal supplies from the Centre.
The shortage has hit two major private plants particularly hard — the Talwandi Sabo Thermal Power Plant in Mansa and the Nabha Power Plant in Rajpura. Both plants depend heavily on coal supplied through the central system, and reduced availability has affected their generation capacity.
The government’s explanation comes amid mounting pressure from industrial consumers, who have been forced to shut operations because of prolonged electricity cuts.
Demand Crosses 16,600 MW
Punjab’s electricity demand touched a record 16,619 MW on Friday, putting enormous pressure on the state’s power system.
At the same time, several generating units remained offline because of technical problems and other constraints. Rajpura Thermal Power Plant’s 700 MW Unit-1 developed a technical fault and was shut down, while its 700 MW Unit-2 was already out of operation.
Overall, the shutdown of thermal and hydel units has affected around 1,915 MW of generation capacity.
To meet the unprecedented demand, PSPCL had to rely heavily on electricity from the Northern Grid. Against its own available generation of around 4,162 MW, Punjab drew approximately 11,747 MW from the grid.
Coal Stocks Vary Sharply Across Plants
The coal position at Punjab’s thermal plants also highlights the uneven nature of the crisis.
Talwandi Sabo reportedly has around 23% of its coal stock, enough for roughly seven days of consumption. Rajpura has around 18% stock, which could last only about three days.
By comparison, the government-owned plants are in a relatively stronger position. Lehra Mohabbat has around 68% stock, equivalent to about 12 days of consumption. Goindwal has 93% stock, sufficient for approximately 32 days, while Ropar has around 169% stock, equivalent to nearly 66 days based on its consumption.
The figures indicate that the immediate pressure is concentrated around major private plants that rely on central coal supplies.
Multiple Generating Units Remain Offline
Several units across Punjab’s power system are currently unavailable.
At Ropar Thermal Power Plant, the 210 MW Unit-6 is shut, while Talwandi Sabo’s 660 MW Unit-2 is also offline. Hydel generation has suffered as well, with the 300 MW units at the Ranjit Sagar Dam and three UBDC units reported to be out of operation.
With demand surging and generating capacity constrained, the state has increasingly depended on electricity purchased from the Northern Grid.
A Warning Issued Five Days Ago
The current crisis had been flagged by Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond just five days earlier.
In a video message, Sond said coal shortages across India had forced Punjab to impose cuts on both domestic and industrial consumers. He claimed that thermal plants with a combined capacity of nearly 63 GW nationwide were being affected by coal shortages, with several private plants reportedly holding only three to four days of stock.
Sond had also said that the Nabha Power and Talwandi Sabo plants were largely dependent on coal supplied by the Centre and were therefore operating at significantly reduced capacity because of inadequate supplies.
Political Battle Over Power Supply
The electricity crisis has now become both an administrative and political challenge for the Punjab government.
While the government blames central coal and power supply constraints, the opposition has accused the Mann administration of mismanagement of the state’s power sector. Industrial consumers, meanwhile, are less concerned about the political blame game and more focused on restoring uninterrupted electricity.
For Punjab’s manufacturing sector, the next two days will be critical. The government has promised that the crisis will ease, but until generating units return to service and coal and grid supplies stabilise, prolonged power cuts are likely to remain a major concern for industries, businesses and households across the state.