India's Electricity Demand Hits All-Time High Of 250 GW Amid Intense Heatwave

New Delhi, May 31 (KNN) India's peak electricity demand touched an unprecedented level of 250 gigawatts (GW) on Thursday, surpassing last year's peak of 243.3 GW recorded in September.

This new record comes as a severe heatwave has gripped multiple states across the nation, leading to a surge in power consumption for cooling purposes.

According to data released by the Ministry of Power, the demand during non-solar hours also reached an all-time high of 234.3 GW on Wednesday, reflecting the combined impact of weather-related loads and growing industrial and residential energy needs.

The northern region bore the brunt of the increased demand, achieving a record 86.7 GW, while the western region touched its maximum of 74.8 GW. To meet this unprecedented surge, the country's thermal power generation hit a new peak of 176 GW (ex-bus), particularly during non-solar hours.

The government attributed this achievement to the strategic implementation of Section 11, which facilitated the maximisation of generation from imported coal-based plants and gas-based plants.

"This surge underscores the significant capacity and operational efficiency of India's thermal power plants, which continue to be the backbone of the nation's energy mix," a ministry statement read.

Renewable energy sources, especially solar during daytime and wind during non-solar hours, also played a crucial role in meeting the peak demand, the government highlighted.

Prior to Thursday's record, the country's peak demand had touched 246.1 GW on Wednesday, according to data from Grid India. The national grid operator reported power shortages of around 1.3 GW during non-solar hours in some regions, although daytime demand was successfully met.

The national capital, New Delhi, also witnessed its highest-ever peak power demand of 8.3 GW on Wednesday, surpassing the previous record of 8.0 GW registered last week. Tata Power-DDL, a major electricity distributor in the city, announced that it had successfully met its highest-ever peak demand of 2.3 GW and had made sufficient arrangements to meet the ongoing surge.

(KNN Bureau)