Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday claimed that the state’s power sector had undergone a major turnaround under the AAP govt, with the once loss-making department now running in profit while continuing to provide free electricity to 90% of households.Addressing a press conference, Mann said the govt had ensured “cheap and uninterrupted” electricity across sectors and asserted that Punjab was now supplying regular power without imposing an additional financial burden on consumers.He said the state was not only providing 600 units of free electricity to households but had also strengthened generation and infrastructure, including through the acquisition of the 540 MW Goindwal Thermal Power Plant.Claiming improved efficiency and reduced tariffs, Mann said the state had met a record peak power demand of 16,670 MW on June 5, 2025, surpassing the previous high of 16,058 MW recorded in June 2024.He also announced a new initiative to shift high-tension power lines passing through farmers’ fields underground, beginning with his native village, where he said 413 tubewells and 1,100 electricity poles were spread across 2,000 acres. The move, he said, would reduce risk to farmers and crops.Mann said there was no coal shortage in the state’s thermal plants and listed stocks of 41 days at Ropar, 37 days at Lehra Mohabbat and 32 days at Goindwal Sahib.He added that the 206 MW Shahpur Kandi Hydel Project was expected to begin generation by May 2027, and said the state aimed to increase the share of green energy from 20% to 80% over the next six years.
