Power situation 'critical', Punjab power utility resorts to load shedding

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said in a statement that the situation on the ground was grim as the state had run out of coal, adding that the people of Punjab were staring at a "dark" festival season. The suspension of freight trains has not only hit the coal supplies for thermal power plants, but has also adversely affected supply of fertilisers for Rabi crops and movement of foodgrain stocks.

load of vegetable feeders (800 MW) being given supply for four to five hours during daytime every day, the official further said. The situation worsened on Tuesday as one unit of private power plant GVK (2x270 MW), which was operational at around 12 noon, was headed for a shutdown by 5 pm, when the coal stock is slated to completely run out.

Two other private thermal plants -- Nabha Power at Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo in Mansa -- have already shut down their operations due to coal shortage. Two state-owned utilities -- Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar power plants -- also have coal for just one or two more days, officials said.

However, one unit at each of these plants shall be synchronised by Tuesday evening to make up for GVK generation loss and to provide stability to the system, said the spokesperson. The situation, said the spokesperson, was grim as the PSPCL was 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.

Due to the increase in market rates leading to lesser clearance of day-ahead power, load shedding has to be carried out on all AP/vegetable and urban pattern power supply (UPS) in rural feeders on early Wednesday morning, he said. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said in a statement that the situation on the ground was grim as the state had run out of coal, adding that the people of Punjab were staring at a "dark" festival season.

The suspension of freight trains has not only hit the coal supplies for thermal power plants, but has also adversely affected supply of fertilisers 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 easing their rail blockades a fortnight ago by allowing the movement of goods trains in the state. However, members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) continued to squat on two rail tracks that are used for coal supplies to the 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.