In Short : Power demand surged in June, with North India’s consumption rising by 22% due to an intense heatwave. The increased demand highlights the region’s need for reliable energy sources to cope with extreme weather conditions.
In Detail : But it is not only in North India, power consumption went up 8.3 per cent in the Northeast, 7.8 per cent in eastern region and 3.5 per cent in western region on-year.
India witnessed some scorching hot days in the month of June this year. As a result power demand went up significantly. According to a report, even as the Southwest Monsoon has arrived and is showering certain regions in abundance, there still are many districts that have received deficient rainfall.
According to Crisil’s latest report, power demand in North India shot up 22 per cent on-year due to the prolonged heatwave that gripped the entire region. Temperatures were 5-8 degree Celsius above normal, which pushed the consumption of power for cooling appliances.
But it is not only in North India, power consumption went up 8.3 per cent in the Northeast, 7.8 per cent in eastern region and 3.5 per cent in western region on-year. The only respite was in the southern states, where the power consumption declined 5.1 per cent.
“The situation is unlikely to improve in a hurry pan India. Despite the southwest monsoon arriving early this year, data from 724 districts between June 1 and July 4 shows that 38 per cent of the districts received deficient rainfall. And the north continues to reel, with half the 209 districts registering deficient rainfall. In the west as well, 33 per cent of the 159 districts were in deficit. In contrast, only 10 per cent of the southern region’s 147 districts had deficit rainfall.
It is not only the heatwave, the report added, but the improvement in economic activity has also led to the increase in power consumption. Robust economic activity contributed to buying levels, and robust demand led to expansion in new order and output. Peak power consumption touched 245.41 GW in June, after a historic high of 250 GW in May.
In June, power output is estimated to have increased ~8 per cent on-year to ~160 BUs in June. The share of gas increased from 2 per cent in June 2023 to 2.8 per cent in June this year, while the share of coal and hydro increased marginally too. Share of renewable energy declined a marginal 0.84 per cent on-year owing to 7 per cent decline in wind generation, while solar generation rose 19 per cent.
Coal dispatch, still the key source of electricity generation, surged to 6.7 per cent on-year in the first quarter of fiscal 2025.
