“The power generation in Punjab as of now has doubled in comparison with 2007 which explains the surplus status of the state in power sector.” Disclosing this, the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, S. Sukhbir Singh Badal said that when the SAD-BJP government assumed reins of the state 9 years back, the power generation capacity stood at 6201 MW which expanded by leaps and bounds under the present government to stand at 12392 MW today, an increase of 99.84 percent. The Deputy Chief Minister further said that generally the demand for power in Punjab remains between 9000 MW to 11,500 MW (Higher Demand) which clearly showcases that the generation of power in state is 37.69 percent more than the average demand. Divulging more, he said that during congress government from 2002-2007 Rs. 4937 crore were spent on increasing power generation and Rs. 2544 crore were spent on development of power supply network. The SAD-BJP government understood the significance of having robust power infrastructure for developmental purposes and spent Rs. 30000 crore during 2007-2015 on increasing power generation capability while spending Rs. 12309 crore on development of power supply network.S. Badal also said that the Punjab government has also placed equal focus on generating renewable energy which is a clear indication of moving ahead and being in tune with the changing scenario in terms of energy and power sector. He said that solar energy not helps in generating cost effective power but also plays a great role in keeping environment clean and green.
The Deputy Chief Minister further revealed that Punjab has the distinction of being the only state where the largest rooftop solar plant has been established in Beas and it is only yesterday that the largest single location solar power plant having 31.5 MW capacity was inaugurated in village Mirpur Kalan (Mansa). Further disclosing, he said that as of now, Punjab produces 470 MW solar power and work is going at war footing on 500 MW solar power projects which would be completed in 2017. He also informed that such initiatives would generate employment avenues for innumerable youth of the state.Giving more details, S. Badal said that power supply to domestic, farming and industrial sectors has witnessed record improvement. He also divulged that whereas the neighbouring states are reeling from long power cuts, the Punjab government has separated the feeders of domestic and agricultural sectors in order to ensure 24 hour power supply to both the sectors. The project was completed during 2008-12 and incurred the expenditure of Rs. 11540 lakh.Highlighting another important aspect regarding the power sector, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the transmission and distribution losses as on 31st March, 2007 stood at 22.53 percent of total power supply which stood at just 15.19 percent as on 31st March, 2015 which makes Punjab stand tall amongst the states having the most efficient transmission and distribution networks. As of now, the power losses during the course of supplying have been brought to less than 7 percent.