India’s Power Demand Hits Record as Heat Wave Batters Nation
(Bloomberg) -- India’s electricity demand climbed to a record on Saturday, after blistering heat waves pushed power usage from cooling appliances, compounding the nation’s energy challenges brought by the Middle East war.
Peak consumption reached 256 gigawatts, beating the previous high of 252 gigawatts on Friday, according to data from Grid Controller of India. Both days had overshot an earlier record in 2024.
The surge in consumption is being driven by searing temperatures across the country that are leading residents to crank up air conditioners and other cooling devices, key drivers of electricity use. On both days, the maximum demand was witnessed during daytime.
India’s rapid addition of solar capacity over the past decade — and the recent growth in coal-fired power — has enabled the nation to handle such demand surges, especially during the day.
Still, the evening hours, when solar plants idle, remain a pressure point, just as the war curbed gas supplies that help meet night-time shortfalls. That’s prompting the nation to double down on coal, promote hydropower and nuclear as alternative base load sources, and accelerate energy storage deployment.
While the grid operator didn’t identify any day-time supply gaps on Friday and Saturday, shortfalls have been on the rise during the evenings. The nation witnessed evening peak deficit of almost 4 gigawatts on Friday, followed by a 3.5-gigawatt gap on Saturday, data show.
Large swathes of the nation are witnessing a blistering summer this year, with the maximum temperature touching 46.9C (116.4F) on Sunday, according to India Meteorological Department. The weather department listed 16 cities where heat rose to 45C or more on the day.
As signs of an abnormally hot summer began to appear in early March, the power ministry has been preparing for demand to potentially reach 283 gigawatts this season. Consistent power supply, needed for cooling homes, offices and hospitals, as well as to run water supply plants, is crucial to mitigate heat stress.
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