Punjab: Power consumption record broken within 24 hours

Punjab’s power consumption scaled unprecedented heights, setting a new record of 16,711 megawatts (MW) at 2 pm today, surpassing the previous all-time peak demand of 16,192 MW recorded just a day earlier.

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This marks the second consecutive day of the record-breaking power usage, driven by the relentless heatwave and the ongoing paddy sowing season.

The steep surge has placed strain on Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) as the state grapples with soaring temperatures and a massive power demand by the agriculture sector.

Urban centres have witnessed a spike in air-conditioner use, while nearly 14 lakh tubewells across Punjab are expected to run at full capacity to irrigate paddy fields. This dual load is contributing heavily to the soaring power requirement.

The state government’s decision to allow paddy transplantation from June 1 — a full two weeks ahead of the traditional June 15 start — has further intensified pressure on the power grid.

Earlier, transplantation was aimed at benefiting from the monsoon rains to conserve groundwater. However, the decision of early paddy transplantation has inadvertently led to a substantial rise in power usage as farmers operate tubewells extensively during the peak summer period.

Punjab cultivates paddy on nearly 32 lakh hectares, with 73% of this area irrigated by tubewells. The PSPCL records indicate there are 13.94 lakh tubewell connections in the state, heavily concentrated in districts suffering from groundwater over-exploitation such as Ludhiana (1.17 lakh tubewells), Gurdaspur (99,581), Amritsar (93,946), Sangrur (93,669), Patiala (87,788), Jalandhar (87,784) and Ferozepur (86,098).

A PSPCL official warned that this power surge will likely inflate the state’s power subsidy burden, which already stands at a staggering Rs 20,500 crore for the current fiscal year — nearly 10 per cent of Punjab’s total budget. Of this, free electricity to farmers for tubewell operations is expected to cost approximately Rs 10,000 crore, the largest allocation among all subsidised sectors.

The official also predicted that the state’s peak demand could soon reach 17,500 MW.

The consumption hovered around 10,500 MW in early June, but surged to 15,600 MW on Monday, and broke the 16,000-MW mark on Tuesday — a stunning 3,000 MW increase within just 48 hours.