India’s peak power demand at record high for fourth consecutive day amid heatwave

India’s peak power demand hit a record high for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday amid a heatwave in several regions of the country, the Ministry of Power said.

The ministry said that at 3.45 pm on Thursday, an energy demand of 270.8 gigawatts was recorded.

“The surge in demand appears to be linked to the greater usage of cooling appliances in view of the prevailing weather conditions across the country,” the ministry said.

Thursday’s peak electricity demand was met through diversified energy sources, it said. Thermal power constituted the largest share at 62.8%, followed by solar at 22.0%, hydro at 5.8% and wind at 5.0%, with the remainder energy supplied by other sources, the ministry said.

“The availability of coal at the thermal power plants is adequate and the supplies are being effectively monitored,” the ministry added.

India’s peak power demand hit successive all-time highs this week, surging from 257.3 gigawatts on Monday to 260.4 gigawatts on Tuesday and 265.4 gigawatts by Wednesday.

The government had projected that the peak power demand would reach 271 gigawatts this summer, The Times of India reported.

The record power demand comes amid Delhi recording its highest night temperature for May in nearly 14 years on Wednesday, at 31.9 degrees Celsius.

On Thursday, the weather department issued an orange alert for heatwave conditions in the national capital region...

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