Deficient monsoon, paddy pressure: Why Punjab bought power worth Rs 119 cr in a day

Punjab's power demand surged by nearly 140% year-on-year due to deficient monsoon and farmers' reliance on tubewells for irrigation, forcing the state to purchase 2,709 lakh units of electricity for Rs 119.5 crore on September 2. The maximum demand reached 16,343 MW, up from 6,830 MW on the same day last year. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) purchased the power after its own generation fell short, and employees staged a strike, causing several plants to remain non-functional.

The deficient monsoon left farmers dependent on groundwater and pump sets, exacerbating the situation. PSPCL imposed power cuts on industries, affecting 31.4 lakh units, with Category-II and Category-III consumers facing three hours and 45 minutes of cuts. The state already had a 36% deficit in monsoon rainfall, with only 612.65 lakh units generated domestically, forcing PSPCL to purchase the remaining units from short-term markets at higher rates to maintain supply.