Power crisis in Punjab: Why the state is on the brink of blackout
India Today
Due to a shortage of coal, empty coffers, faulty transmission lines and poor infrastructure the power generation has gone down in Punjab. Is the state on the brink of a blackout? Know here.
With the rising temperature, the demand for power is also increasing in Punjab. But as the state fails to meet the power demand, the authorities are now facing protests from politicians, farmers and citizens.
Punjab is on the brink of a blackout as the power generation for various reasons has gone down. Despite the assurances, the state government is not able to maintain a balance between the growing power demand and availability.
As four out of a total 15 thermal power units are down, only 3327 MW of power is being generated against the capacity of 5880 MW.
Failing to meet the power demand, the PSPCL is resorting to unannounced power cuts. The worst-hit areas are in the rural region where power outages are happening daily.
The urban consumers are also feeling the pinch as power cuts have become frequent. Electricity is usually not available for five to six hours in urban areas.
Punjab has nearly 7000 MW of in-house power generation capacity, which also includes 5880 MW of thermal power generation. Presently the inhouse generation has come down to 3950 MW.
The citizens of Punjab are fed up with the continuous power cuts. Avnish Kumar is a Mohali-based entrepreneur who runs a small carpentry workshop. He revealed that his entire workforce, consisting of 8 to 10 labourers, has to sit idle whenever there is a power cut.
