Patiala, March 16: The state will have to purchase power from outside sources following the closure of state-owned thermal plants and limited coal availability. Besides buying more power at higher rates, the PSPCL will also expect all private plants in the state to run to full capacity throughout summer.
Official figures suggest that Punjab will float tenders to buy almost 1,000 Mega Watt (MW) of power. The state is relying on its long-term agreements from where it expects to get around 650 MW to meet high demand in the paddy season. The present energy demand is 135 million units (MUs) per day. During the paddy season, the demand will double to around 270 MUs per day, leaving the state at the mercy of private players.
After the government ordered the closure of 460 MW Bathinda thermal plant and two units of 210 MW each of Ropar plant in January, the generation capacity has come down by 860 MW. The dependence on private plants will increase during the paddy season.
“In addition to loss of 860 MW, the transfer capacity of power from Northern Grid to Punjab has come down by 600 MW. Thus in the paddy season, the state will face a reduced power availability of 1,460 MW. This implies that Punjab will have to make higher power purchases or resort to power cuts,” said Padamjit Singh, chairman, All India Power Engineers Federation.
“Since the PSPCL is in extreme financial distress, it cannot afford heavy power purchases. The only solution will be power cuts throughout the paddy season,” he claimed.
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