CHANDIGARH, APRIL 6 — Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann declared on Monday that Punjab’s power department has transitioned into a profit-making entity while simultaneously providing free electricity to the vast majority of the state’s households. During a press conference, the Chief Minister affirmed that the structural turnaround of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has earned it a national A+ rating, ranking it second in the country.
The state’s current energy model provides 600 units of free power bi-monthly to domestic consumers, resulting in zero electricity bills for approximately 90 percent of households. Despite this subsidy, the government has moved to strengthen state-owned assets, most notably through the ₹1,080 crore acquisition of the 540 MW Goindwal Thermal Power Plant, now renamed after Sri Guru Amar Das Ji.
“While public assets are being privatized elsewhere, the Punjab Government acquired a private thermal plant at a cost of ₹1,080 crore, setting a new benchmark,” Chief Minister Mann stated. He noted that the plant’s Plant Load Factor (PLF) has improved from 34 percent to 65 percent under state management, reaching peaks of 90 percent.
The Chief Minister also asserted that the administration has lowered tariffs for commercial and industrial sectors, contrasting this with the price hikes of previous years. Employment has remained a priority, with 9,593 youth recruited into the power sector since April 2022 and another 1,750 positions expected to be filled by June 2026.
“The AAP government has set a new record by providing cheap and uninterrupted power supply to every sector,” Mann said. “For the first time, power is being supplied regularly to people without additional financial burden.”
To support this growth, transmission capacity has been expanded to nearly 10,900 MW. Additionally, the resumption of operations at the Pachwara Coal Mine has reportedly saved the state ₹1,462 crore since late 2022, ensuring that thermal plants maintain upwards of 30 days of coal stock.
