Punjab recorded its highest electricity demand of the year on Monday, June 29, 2026, with peak demand reaching 16,940 MW as a severe heatwave continued to grip the state. The demand surpassed the previous year's level of 15,421 MW on the same date, marking a sharp increase of nearly 10 percent.
Rising demand over consecutive days
The upward trend in power consumption has been consistent over the past several days. On June 28, 2026, demand stood at 16,844 MW, compared to 16,818 MW on the corresponding day in 2025. On June 27, 2026, peak demand reached 16,604 MW, up from 15,736 MW a year earlier. June 26 saw a demand of 16,464 MW, significantly higher than 12,961 MW recorded on the same day last year. On June 25, demand was 16,335 MW, versus 14,697 MW in 2025, and on June 24, it touched 15,980 MW, compared to 15,946 MW a year ago.
Officials from the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) indicated that if the heatwave persists, electricity demand could cross the 17,000 MW mark in the coming days.
Power generation ramped up to meet demand
To cope with the surging demand, PSPCL has maximized generation from both thermal and hydroelectric plants. All four units of the Ropar Thermal Plant were operational, generating 524 MW. The Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Plant produced 562 MW from three units, while one unit remained shut. The Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant contributed 490 MW from its two operational units.
Among private thermal plants, the Rajpura Thermal Plant generated 1,326 MW from two units, and the Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant, the state's largest, produced 1,618 MW from all three units.
Punjab's hydroelectric projects generated a total of 972 MW on Monday. The Ranjit Sagar Dam contributed 545 MW from four generating units. The Anandpur Sahib Hydel Project produced 55 MW from each of its two units, while the Shanan Hydel Power Project at Joginder Nagar in Himachal Pradesh generated 82 MW.
The total power generation from Punjab government-owned projects, including thermal, hydel, solar, and other renewable sources, stood at approximately 5,787 MW on Monday. The remaining demand was met through the central power pool and other sources.
Power outages reported despite no official cuts
Consumers in several rural and urban areas reported unannounced power outages during the day and at night. However, PSPCL officials denied imposing any power cuts, attributing the disruptions to local faults or load shedding beyond their control.
