Unscheduled power cuts have added woes of exporters.
Power shortage in Punjab this season has rendered industrial units in the state rather “powerless”. Traditionally, the winter season remains power-surplus owing to less demand from agriculture and other domestic sectors. On the contrary, the state this time has been witnessing a deficit power supply, and accordingly, the industry has to bear with the unscheduled power cuts.
Exporters, who are already facing tough times due to the global economic crisis, are finding the power situation as the last straw in the camel’s back.
The food processing units of Sangrur, the largest rice processing belt of Asia, is in doldrums due to acute power shortage. The rice mills, solvent extraction plants, cotton ginning units, sugar plants, groundnut oil seeds units, which work particularly more during this time of the year, are utilising only 60 per cent of their capacities due to the power shortage.
According to Anup Bector, director of Cremica Foods, the company has been facing 6-7 hour of power cut daily that includes the three-hour peak load cut (6 pm-9 pm). He added that they arranged a power back-up facility that costs Rs 10 per unit as compared to the Rs 4.50 per unit by the state utilities.
According to sources in Punjab Power Utilities, the state has a demand of about 92 million units per day. However, there has been a shortfall of about 15 million units. The state has to provide 14 million units to the hilly states under the banking system as it borrows power from them in summers.
“We cannot falter in our commitment as we need power from them in summers when the demand multiplies manifold,” Bector said.
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“Punjab relies on western states and Madhya Perdesh to meet its power deficit, if any, in winters. But due to scanty rainfall, these states do not have surplus power to sell us, and so the state is facing difficulty this year,” he added.
The textile industry in the state has taken a hit by up to 40 per cent due to the erratic power supply. The automation of the textile industry needs regular power supply. The captive power is unviable, said an industrialist based in Ludhiana.
The steel cluster of Mandi Gobindgarh has also suffered due to the dismal power situation. “The uncertain power supply and fluctuation have hit us more as the heat cycle between two production processes cannot be stopped,” said Avtar Singh, director of Mithila Malleables.