PSPCL ready to meet power needs this season

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 17

With three days to go for the official paddy sowing season to start, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has ensured 13,000 MW of power generation to meet an expected demand of 12,500 MW during the paddy season (June 20 to August).

It claims to have made elaborate arrangements for ample coal supply to all thermal plants. For the first time, the PSPCL will also release a time table for supply of power to tubewells in every district so that farmers know in advance about the power supply.

Last week, PSPCL CMD Baldev Singh Sran met Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and was assured that the government would release their pending subsidy bills at the earliest.

“I have been assured of timely release of subsidy amount as we need to pay for coal and power bought from outside the state,” said Sran.

Starting June 20, when around 14 lakh tubewells will be pressed into service to irrigate 28 lakh hectares, the PSPCL will face a tough task to ensure “assured eight-hour power supply”.

However, the major challenge for PSPCL will be to manage its transmission limit of 6,400 MW from the power grid which till few years ago was overburdened due to power overdrawn by Punjab.

Sran confirmed that they have decided to ensure that farmers across the border fencing would get power supply from 9 am to 5 pm. “For the rest of the state, there will be three time slots of eight hours,” said Sran.

Coal trouble

The PSPCL has also made plans to ensure that private plants do not run out of coal during the paddy season. At present, both state-owned thermals have sufficient coal stock with Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Power Plant at Ropar with 29 days of coal stock and Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant Lehra Mohabbat with coal stock for 23 days.