Power demand defies forecasts, officials say consumption likely to surge further | India News
New Delhi: India’s peak power demand hit an all-time high of 252 GW on April 24, as temperatures soared across the country, pushing power consumption to record levels, reports Atul Mathur.According to data from the Grid Controller of India, power demand touched 252.1 GW at 3.28 pm on Friday, up from 240.1 GW recorded on April 23, driven by increased AC usage in both domestic and commercial sectors. The previous peak demand was registered on May 30, 2024, when it was 249.9 GW.
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With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting a harsh summer this year, the power ministry has estimated a peak power demand of 271 GW. Due to heat wave conditions in major parts of the country, officials said that power demand and consumption may increase further this month.To put this in perspective, the peak power demand recorded in April last year was 235 GW. Due to milder weather in 2025, peak demand reached a year-high of 242.8 GW on June 12, though the power ministry had projected demand to reach 270 GW. On January 9 this year, power demand exceeded 245 GW due to severe cold conditions in North and Northeast India.According to data compiled by Grid India, power consumption remained low till April 12 due to mild weather and scattered rains in north India, but has been increasing steadily since April 13.This week’s demand proved wrong the grid controller’s forecast, which had estimated a peak of around 240 gigawatts on April 24. For the week of April 27 – May 3, it projected demand to remain low initially but increase to 246 GW on May 1.Officials said the demand is likely to increase as the IMD has indicated that heat wave conditions may develop in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and isolated pockets of Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and central India in the coming days.“These weather conditions will increase power consumption across the country, and power demand is likely to rise further, setting a new peak in the coming days,” an official said.
