Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Punjab has met its highest-ever electricity demand of 17,423 MW without imposing any power cuts due to shortage, while maintaining 24×7 power supply across the residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors. Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said the achievement came amid a sharp rise in electricity demand this year and highlighted the state’s preparedness and power generation capacity in meeting the unprecedented requirement.
Addressing a press conference at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Ludhiana on Monday, Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said, “From 7 AM yesterday, 13 September, until now, no power cuts due to electricity shortage have been imposed in Punjab. Along with this, continuous 24×7 electricity supply has been ensured and is currently running for all four major sectors: residential, commercial, industrial and agriculture.”
Emphasising the government’s priority during the ongoing paddy season, he emphasised, “Our farmers have always been and will remain our top priority because Punjab is an agrarian state. Two private thermal plants had recently developed technical snags during the paddy season. The entire in-house team of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited worked day and night to make those plants operational again.”
Referring to the measures taken to compensate farmers for the earlier disruption, Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond continued, “CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has issued instructions that to cover up for the 2 to 3-hour power cuts, the Punjab Government is now giving two extra hours of electricity supply to our farmers starting yesterday.”
He said the scale of the achievement becomes clearer from the sharp rise in electricity demand this year. “In previous years during the month of September, electricity demand used to hover around 13,100 MW, but this year it touched 16,600 MW. This meant an extra demand of 3,500 MW. Despite this additional demand of 3,500 MW, PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Limited) successfully handled the challenge, which in itself is a massive achievement for the Punjab Government,” he stated.
Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said, “Along with this, I praise the entire team of PSPCL that handled public complaints as well. Over the last two to three days, I personally received calls from industrialists and farmer unions.”
Reiterating the reasons behind the recent power crisis, he added, “I had already explained three days ago in a press conference that this crisis arose partly due to coal cuts by the Central Government and partly because the Centre did not release Punjab’s rightful 1,000 MW power share.”
He commended the officials of the Power Department for working round the clock. “They worked day and night, fixed the technical glitches in the thermal plants and brought them back online,” he stated.
Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond also shared an update on a private power plant from which Punjab purchases electricity. “Good news has also arrived regarding a private power plant from where the state buys electricity. Its unit has also started running and 100 MW of power supply has begun coming from it,” he said.
Congratulating the state’s industrialists and farmers, Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said, “The critical crisis period has passed.”
Highlighting the importance of the Punjab Government’s decision to purchase the Guru Amardas Thermal Plant, the minister added, “History has seen many governments till date. Punjab has 10 state thermal units, out of which one plant, named Guru Amardas Thermal Plant, was bought by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s Punjab Government.”
He emphasised, “If the government had not purchased this thermal plant, the power situation today would have been extremely critical.” He added, “The Punjab Government is working with such alertness that it met a peak demand touching 17,000 MW this season.”
With the state now meeting a record 17,423 MW demand, Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said, “All 10 thermal units are working at full capacity.” He further highlighted the government’s power relief measures, stating, “The public is very happy as 90 per cent of people are receiving zero electricity bills.”
MLA Chaudhary Madan Lal Bagga and MLA Rajinderpal Kaur Chhina were also present on the occasion.
Punjab Power Demand Surges To Record High As Consumption Jumps 14%
According to the official month-wise data, Punjab’s maximum demand met rose from 12,025 MW in April 2026 to 17,277 MW in July 2026, while September’s maximum demand had already reached 16,598 MW by 13 September, compared with 13,127 MW during the corresponding period last year, an increase of 26 per cent. The latest peak of 17,423 MW has now surpassed the earlier April to September peak of 17,277 MW by 146 MW.
The data also shows a substantial rise in overall power consumption. From April to 13 September, Punjab recorded 46,696 million units (MUs) of power consumption compared with 41,072 MUs during the corresponding period last year, an increase of 14%. July consumption rose 15% from 9,362 MUs to 10,765 MUs, while August consumption increased by 25 per cent from 8,265 MUs to 10,340 MUs. In September up to 13 September, consumption stood at 4,237 MUs, compared with 2,478 MUs during the corresponding period last year, marking a 71% increase.
