NEW DELHI: India’s peak power demand hit an all-time high for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, with electricity requirement touching 265.4 GW amid intensive use of air conditioners and cooling appliances due to scorching heat across the country.
The peak electricity demand was recorded at 257.5 GW on Monday, which was surpassed on Tuesday with a new record of 260.5 GW. According to the National Power Portal, the peak demand of 265.4 GW was achieved at 3:45 pm on Wednesday, with thermal energy providing baseload power of 166 GW and solar energy contributing 58 GW.
Heatwave Conditions Persist
With heatwave conditions continuing relentlessly in north, northwest, and central India, power ministry officials and industry experts stated that demand may rise further in the coming days due to increased use of air conditioners by both domestic and commercial sectors. While the government has projected peak power demand to reach 271 GW this summer, officials have made arrangements to ensure that even a requirement of 280 GW is met without any shortfall.
Grid Performance and Shortages
According to Grid India’s daily report, compiled based on data from the National Load Despatch Centre, there was no shortfall in meeting peak power demand during solar hours on Tuesday. However, the peak during non-solar hours saw a shortage of 698 MW. The report is compiled a day later.
Expert Recommendations
Disha Aggarwal, Senior Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a think tank, stated that record heat and surging electricity demand continue to test the power system. She highlighted the need to deploy energy storage systems at a large scale to make the system robust even during non-solar hours. While there is surplus solar power during the day, Aggarwal noted that the installed coal capacity runs at full capacity during the night.
Aggarwal elaborated on four key actions India must urgently take: fast-track the commissioning of 9.7 GW of battery and pumped hydro storage planned for FY27 to utilise cheaper and surplus solar power during nights; ensure adequate coal stocks are maintained; expand the application of time-of-day tariffs so that smart-metered consumers can optimise evening consumption; and equip discoms with AI-driven, weather-linked tools to anticipate demand hotspots and prevent transformer failures.
About the Author: Atul Mathur is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India with over 27 years of experience in journalism. Based in Delhi, he has spent much of his career reporting on governance, public policy, and politics, producing researched, data-driven stories that impact daily lives. Atul is known for investigative depth and strong human-interest narratives as he strives to bring clarity and context to complex issues. He currently tracks the energy sector, writing on power, renewable energy, coal, and mines.
