Chandigarh: The ‘zero bills’ have raised the concern of PSPCL. This is the first time that all records of demand and consumption of electricity have been broken in the winter season. Normally, the demand for electricity goes down significantly during the cold days, but this time the demand and consumption of domestic electricity has skyrocketed to take advantage of the ‘zero bills’.
As per the details received, the power demand in Punjab has touched 8736 MW on January 4 as compared to only 6321 MW last year.
In a single day, the demand for electricity has increased by 36 percent. In the first four days of January, the demand for electricity has increased by 24 per cent, while the consumption of electricity has increased by 21 per cent.
Since December 22, the demand and consumption of electricity has picked up pace. As the cold is increasing, so is the increase in consumption. Experts say that the average power consumption in normal households during the winter season was less than 200 units. Now the AAP government has given a waiver of 300 units. This is the first winter season in which power consumption has increased.
In December, the average consumption of electricity increased by 4 per cent, which increased to 21 per cent in January.
Powercom has to run government and private thermal power plants in the winter season to meet the demand for electricity. Earlier in the winter season, running a few units used to do the work. At present, four units of Ropar Thermal, three units of Lehra Mohabbat Thermal, three units of Talwandi Sabo Thermal Power Station, two units of Rajpura Thermal and one unit of Goindwal Thermal are operational.
Field officials say that due to the free. electricity upto 600 units, people are running room heaters and also making food on heaters. Powercom’s subsidy bill will be heavier and the power rates on the central exchange have also gone up.
In Punjab, the load of electricity is high in the morning and evening. On an average, electricity is available at Rs 7 per unit from the exchange, while in the morning, the rate goes up to Rs 12 per unit.
On the one hand, the Power Minister is expressing happiness over 90 per cent of the households getting zero bills and on the other hand, the increase in the consumption of Powercom has dried up.