Punjab’s annual paddy season began on Jattvibeday, marking a crucial test for the state government as cultivation spreads across more than 30 lakh hectares and electricity demand is expected to touch record levels.With the India Meteorological Department forecasting more heatwave days than last year and below-normal monsoon rainfall, power sector experts estimate that Punjab’s peak electricity demand could rise by around six per cent and cross 18,000 MW during the season.The state relies heavily on groundwater for paddy cultivation, with nearly 13.94 lakh tubewells pumping water to irrigate fields. Most of these tubewells are located in districts where groundwater levels have already been severely overexploited.Despite repeated recommendations from experts to delay paddy transplantation until the end of June, closer to the arrival of the monsoon, Punjab continues to permit sowing from the beginning of June.According to power sector estimates, the maximum demand during the current paddy season is expected to exceed 18,000 MW, compared with around 17,200 MW recorded during the 2025 season. With the Vidhan Sabha elections due next year, this will be the final paddy season under the incumbent government, which is hoping to ensure uninterrupted power supply despite the anticipated surge in demand.The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has made arrangements to provide eight hours of daily electricity supply to agricultural tubewells.”Even in April this year, the maximum power demand crossed 12,000 MW, an increase of 800 MW over the corresponding period last year. During May, demand touched 14,000 MW,” said VK Gupta, spokesperson for the All India Power Engineers Federation.Power officials said PSPCL’s internal generation capacity is around 6,500 MW. The utility is expected to draw more than 10,500 MW through power purchases and banking arrangements, including 3,000-3,500 MW through banking mechanisms. Additional support will come from the state’s 4,800 MW share in central sector projects and Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) plants, along with cheaper solar power during daytime hours.Officials said short-term power purchases during the paddy season are likely to exceed 2,000 million units, while agricultural consumption alone may touch 16,000 million units (MU) this year.”In Punjab, peak power demand generally occurs during the second fortnight of June after all tubewells start receiving eight hours of electricity supply,” a PSPCL official said.Groundwater under pressureThe extensive use of tubewells continues to put enormous pressure on Punjab’s groundwater reserves. Each tubewell pumps out an estimated 30.24 lakh litres of water per week with an average eight-hour power supply. Collectively, nearly 14 lakh tubewells extract around 4,385 billion litres of groundwater every week during the paddy season.A recent report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by an expert committee highlighted the scale of the challenge. The report stated that delaying paddy transplantation by just one week could save enough water to meet the needs of Punjab’s three crore population for more than three-and-a-half years.Ludhiana has the highest number of tubewells in the state at 1.17 lakh, followed by Gurdaspur (99,581), Amritsar (93,946) and Sangrur (93,669). These districts have also witnessed some of the sharpest declines in groundwater levels over the years. In districts such as Barnala and Sangrur, farmers are now extracting water from greater depths, often using high-capacity 17 BHP motors to access dwindling groundwater reserves.