Punjab on Tuesday braced for massive power cuts after running completely out of power, with coal stocks in the State drying up fully as a result of the prolonged suspension of goods supply trains by the Railways.
As day-time power shortage rose to 1000-1500 megawatt (MW), with last of the state’s power plants, GVK Thermal, also running out of power, the Power Department has been left with no option but to impose power cuts on all residential, commercial and agricultural consumers beginning Tuesday evening.
According to a government spokesperson, at present, the day demand in the state stands at about 5100-5200 MW and night demand is about 3400 MW. Supply, on the other hand, is totally inadequate with only Agricultural Power (AP) load of vegetable feeders (800 MW) being given supply for four to five hours during day time every day. The other AP load is currently insignificant (about 300 MW).
With the situation turning grim, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is imposing power cuts of two-three hours due to the mismatch between demand and supply, an official said.
“The power cuts will increase to four-five hours,” said PSPCL chairperson A Venu Prasad adding that the “power situation is critical, and we will impose three-hour power cuts today evening”.
“The situation is grim as PSPCL is left with no generation control and market rates of power continued to be highly volatile and could further spike any time, resulting in increase in the cost of power purchase, on which the State is now completely dependent to feed its cables,” said the spokesperson.
Due to the increase in market rates leading to lesser clearance of day-ahead power, load shedding had to be carried out on Tuesday on all AP (agriculture) or vegetable and Urban Pattern Power Supply (UPS) in rural feeders early in the morning. “Otherwise too, load shedding is now being carried out regularly on various feeders of the state after 4 pm, for four to five hours every day, while AP or vegetable supply is also being curtailed on regular basis,” said the spokesperson.
Giving details, the spokesperson said that the situation worsened on Tuesday, when the one unit of GVK (2x270 MW) that was operational at around 12 noon headed for shut-down by 5 pm, when the coal stock was slated to completely run out. Other private thermal power plants — Nabha Power Limited (two units of 660 MW each) and Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) (three units of 660 MW each) — have already exhausted their coal supplies and are out of operation.
The state’s own thermal power stations of Ropar and Lehra Mohabbat — six units of 210 MW each and two units of 250 MW each, respectively, adding up to 1760 MW — are also boxed up at present. However, one unit at each of these plants shall be synchronized by Tuesday evening to make up for GVK generation loss and to provide stability to the system, said the spokesperson.
Incidentally, in normal circumstances, the day-time demand in the State is typically met from the Centre Public Sector Stations (Punjab Share or Long Term Power) which is 2500 MW, besides 375 MW from own hydro power stations, 250 MW from one unit of GVK Thermal plant, 450 MW from renewable sources (mainly solar during day time), 2700 MW by purchase from power exchange or tenders.
After deducting the State Government’s day-time banking obligation of about 1070 MW, this totals 5200 MW, which is sufficient to meet the average daily power demand in the State during the day in normal circumstances.
Currently, the demand for electricity in the State stands at 6,000 MW against a supply of 5,000 MW from other central sectors, hydro and biomass, leading to a shortage of 1,000 MW.
The suspension of freight trains has not only hit the coal supplies for thermal power plants but also adversely affected supply of fertilizers for Rabi crops and movement of foodgrain stocks. The non-operation of goods trains has also impacted the state industry as it was unable to get raw material and send finished goods.
Several farmer outfits had announced a fortnight ago to ease their rail blockade by allowing the movement of goods trains in the State. However, members of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) continued to squat on two rail tracks that are used for coal supplies to two private thermal plants at Rajpura and Mansa. Protesters under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee are also sitting on a rail track in Amritsar.
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had sought the State Government’s assurance of the safety of trains and their crew members to restore freight services after Singh had asked him to intervene.
CAPT TERMS SITUATION CRITICAL
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday described the current situation as “grim” pointing that the State had run out of coal and the people of Punjab were staring at a “dark” festival season.
Informing that the last of the private power plants also shut down its operation on Tuesday as coal stocks had complete run out, Capt Amarinder said that the public and other private power plants in the State had already shut down earlier.
“The situation on the ground is grim as the State has run out of coal, urea or DAP and other essential supplies due to the decision of the Railways not to ply goods trains even after the farmers eased their blockade to allow such movement,” he said.
“With our bid for power purchase not cleared for Tuesday, the state is facing extreme power shortage, all agricultural and vegetable supplies have been curtailed, and high loss feeders’ power supply has been cut,” he said, adding that the people of Punjab were staring at a dark festival season.