New Delhi: India’s peak power demand hit an all-time high of 252 gigawatts on April 24 as temperatures soared across the country, pushing power consumption to record levels, reports Atul Mathur.Power demand hit 252.1 GW at 3:28 pm on Friday, up from 240.1 GW recorded on April 23, due to increased use of air conditioners in households and commercial sectors, data from India’s power grid controller showed. The previous highest demand was on May 30, 2024, when demand was 249.9 GW.
Banda is hottest on Saturday
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted severe weather this summer and the Power Ministry has projected peak power demand of 271 GW. Officials say electricity demand and consumption are likely to surge further this month as a heat wave sweeps through major parts of the country.To put this into perspective, peak power demand in April last year was 235 GW. Due to milder weather in 2025, peak demand hit the year’s highest level of 242.8 GW on June 12, although the power ministry expected demand to reach 270 GW. Power demand crossed the 245 GW mark on January 9 this year due to severe cold weather in northern and northeastern India.According to data compiled by Power Grid India, electricity consumption had been sluggish as of April 12 due to mild weather and sporadic rains in northern India, but has been rising steadily since April 13.This week’s demand proved wrong the predictions of grid controllers, who expected a peak of about 240 gigawatts on April 24. For the week of April 27 to May 3, grid controllers expect demand to remain subdued initially but to rise to 246 gigawatts on May 1.Officials said demand is likely to rise further as the IMD said heat wave conditions are likely to occur in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and isolated places in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and central India in the coming days.“These weather conditions will drive electricity consumption across the country and power demand is likely to rise further, hitting new peaks in the coming days,” an official said.
