The power demand in Punjab has dipped by 5,500 megawatts (MW), giving much-needed relief to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). The maximum demand was 11,456 MW on Saturday morning as per northern regional load dispatch (NRLDC), but it dipped below 5,000 MW today morning following widespread rains in parts of the state.Power outages were reported after branches and uprooted tree trunks fell on electricity lines in the state.The power demand remained below 5,000 MW and the state was under drawing power from the northern grid. The under drawl was more than 2,200 MW at one time. Against the scheduled drawl of 3,525 MW from the grid, it was drawing 1,300 MW.A senior PSPCL official said that all thermal units in the state as well as the private sector were running at half load due to the low demand and the state’s gross generation was around 3,500 MW.  Moreover, the state was not drawing its full scheduled allocation.It may be mentioned that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an alert for moderate thunderstorms accompanied by squall, with wind speeds reaching up to 60 kmph.“More rain would mean lower demand for power in coming days,” said a power engineer.