Peak power demand in June may not touch projected 229 GW mark

New Delhi: Peak power demand is unlikely to touch or cross 229 GW in summer this year due to unseasonal rains and the after-effects of cyclonic storm Biparjoy in the country, said industry experts. Industry experts said that the unseasonal rains have affected the demand and brought down temperatures during summer, resulting in fewer use of cooling appliances like air conditioners that guzzle power.

Peak power demand is unlikely to touch or cross the 229 GW level as projected by CEA

The experts said that the peak power demand in the country is unlikely to touch or cross the 229 GW level as projected by the Central Electricity Authority due to the impact of unseasonal rains and the cyclone.
The power ministry in March had said that according to the Central Electricity Authority estimates the peak electricity demand was expected to be 229 GW during April-June when the power demand is the highest in the country. But experts say that monsoon will be active in the entire country by July and the seasonal rains would again lower the power demand.

Peak power demand met in a day touched 223.23 GW on June 9

The peak power demand met or the highest supply in a day touched an all-time record high of 223.23 GW on June 9. Thereafter, it came down to 219.30 GW on June 10 and further to 206.66GW on June 11. The highest supply in a day again rose to 218.67 GW on June 12 but dipped to 215.35 GW on June 13 and 214.58 GW on June 14. The peak power demand met remained ever lower at 210.90 GW on June 15. It was 211.96 GW on June 16. However, the power ministry has been taking steps to avoid any power shortage in the country.

Ministry asked imported coal-based power plants to run at full capacity from Mar 16 to June 15

The ministry asked all imported coal-based power plants to run at full capacity from March 16 to June 15 to meet any unprecedented rise in demand and consumption of electricity in the country. The timeline has been extended by three and a half months until September 30. The ministry had also asked the domestic coal-based thermal power plants to import coal for blending to avoid any shortfall of dry fuel.

Peak power demand met was 215.97 GW in April & 221.34 GW in May

The government data shows that the peak power demand met was 215.97 GW in April and 221.34 GW in May this year. The shortfall was just 170 MW in April and 23 MW in May. The shortfalls were miniscule which may be caused due to technical reasons, the experts said adding that this shows that power demand did not rise unprecedently as estimated by the Central Electricity Authority. The consumption of power dipped in March and remained almost flat in April this year. It again dipped in May, showing the impact of unseasonal rains in the country.

Power consumption dipped to 126.82 billion units (BU) in March

Power consumption dipped to 126.82 billion units (BU) in March this year from 128.47 BU in the same month a year ago. It was almost flat at 132.15 BU in April 2023 compared to 132.02 BU in the same month last year. Consumption of power again dipped to 134.20 BU in May 2023 from 135.15 BU in the same month a year ago. Experts have said that due to rains, power consumption growth may remain subdued in June.

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