With good monsoon, Punjab's power corporation saves crores; record paddy harvest predicted

Despite eyeing a bumper paddy crop this season, which was sown early, a good monsoon spread across the state meant that the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had to supply less electricity during this paddy season due to above-average rainfall.

As a result, the power corporation managed to save crores of rupees on free power and also managed more hydro power to meet demand.

Experts suggest that Punjab is on track for a record paddy harvest this kharif season, with an expected paddy yield of 185 lakh tonnes this year, a marginal increase from last season’s figure of 182 lakh tonnes.

Data compiled by The Tribune revealed that this year the power supply in the last two-and-a-half months is around 235,300 LU (lakh units), which is less than 5 per cent of the corresponding period's supply of around 242,460 LU.

The power purchase from all sources was 181,300 LU, whereas it was 184,400 LU during the same period last year. The daily average power supply this year during June, July, and up to August 16th was around 3052 lakh units (LU), 3095 LU, and 2993 LU, respectively.

Last year, in 2023, the average power supply during corresponding periods in June, July, and up to August 16th was 2918 LU, 3352 LU, and 3190 LU, respectively.

Experts suggest that the early pre-monsoon and the timely arrival of the monsoon in most parts of Punjab helped save a lot of stress on the groundwater and also saved on the free power cost borne by the government.

“It is after years that there is a decline in power supply, as the demand usually rises every year when over 13 lakh tubewells pump out lakhs of liters,” they said.

“This season, the stress on underground water was also lower due to regular rains, which meant less use of tubewells,” they added. Each tubewell pumps out 30.24 lakh liters of water per week with an average eight hours of power supply. Over 118 blocks in the state are already under the “dark zone” (where the water table has fallen drastically) because of the increasing area under paddy cultivation.

The average daily power purchase this year during the paddy season was 2324 LU, 2392 LU, and 2340 LU for the month of June, July, and up to today in August, respectively. Last year, the average daily power purchase during the corresponding period was 2170 LU, 2560 LU, and 2486 LU, respectively. This year's three-phase paddy season started from June 1st, while last year it was June 11th. Since 2014, the transplantation of the water-guzzling crop usually started on June 15th, a move aimed at reducing stress on groundwater by factoring in the monsoon season.

The advancing of the date had drawn criticism from various quarters, especially agriculture experts, who flagged fears of rapid desertification of the state if groundwater exploitation continues at the present rate. Experts have advocated pushing paddy transplantation beyond June 20th, as the crop needs a huge amount of water throughout the irrigation period that lasts until the end of September. The crop is cultivated on over 31 lakh hectares in the state, of which 73 percent is irrigated by tubewells.