SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir may face a power deficit as early as November, despite an allocation of 329 megawatts (MW) from the central share for December 2026 and January-February 2027, officials told the news agency KNO.
Top officials said the Ministry of Power (MoP) had allocated the power for the three winter months, while warning that November 2026 and March 2027 could pose supply challenges.
“We may face the power deficit challenge for the months of November 2026 and March 2027,” an official said.
The official said Jammu and Kashmir typically faces a power shortage of 800–1,000 MW during peak winter, which is met through centrally allocated power and purchases from power exchanges.
At present, the Union Territory’s power demand stands at around 2,100–2,200 MW, the official said, adding that it rises to nearly 2,900 MW during peak winter.
The Ministry of Power has also allocated more than 870 MW of power for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from the unallocated quota of Central Generating Stations (CGSs) in the northern region. However, officials said the actual supply received from the allocation was around 600 MW, depending on the Plant Load Factor (PLF).
According to official documents accessed by KNO, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh may receive 655 MW of unallocated power from northern-region utilities between November 1 and 30, 2026, subject to modification.
The documents indicate that the allocation could increase to 845 MW for December 2026 and January 2027, before declining to 655 MW for February 2027.
The allocations are subject to revision, the documents stated.
The potential shortage comes amid concerns that Jammu and Kashmir could face a repeat of last winter’s power crisis, when demand in the region’s control area reached around 3,200 MW during early morning and night hours as heating requirements increased.
Official documents warned that demand this winter could be similar to or higher than last year’s peak, while hydropower generation was likely to remain low.
“Demand is expected to be similar or higher this winter, and hydro generation is likely to be lean again, so the same conditions are likely to return unless action is taken in advance,” the documents stated.
