New Delhi: The electricity demand of India touched an all time high of 176.724 gigawatts (GW) Friday night. This comes in the backdrop of mercury soaring in Central India Wednesday, with the temperature reportedly touching 45 degrees Celsius in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Delhi also recorded the hottest day of the season Thursday with temperature touching 43 degrees Celsius in the national capital.
“All India demand touched 176,724 MW (all time highest) at 23.06 hrs April 26, surpassing earlier peak of 175,590 MW September 18, 2018,” power secretary Ajay Bhalla said in a tweet Saturday.
In the build up to the general and the state Assembly elections in 2018, additional power requisitioning by distribution companies had led to a short-term hike in electricity prices.
Quoting data collated by ICRA and the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), The Mint reported that the demand for electricity, petrol and diesel picked up in March of 2009 and 2014, just before general elections. While the 2009 elections were held in five phases from April 16 to May 13, the 2014 elections were held over nine phases from April 7 to May 12. Polling this year is being held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19.
Of the country’s installed capacity of 350.162 GW, peak electricity demand has been low due to issues such as precarious finances of some state-owned electricity distribution companies, which prevents them from power procurement of the required quantum.
The all-time high for electricity in the spot market was Rs 8.2 per unit for October 4 delivery last year. Of the estimated 1,200 billion units (BU) of electricity generated in India, the short-term market comprises 130-150BU.
The government claims that in the nine months of FY19, peak demand grew at 7.9% as compared to 2.8% in the corresponding period in FY18. It attributed this increased power demand to the spread of household electrification, increased supply to agricultural consumers, low hydropower generation and extended summers.
Agencies
