India's power demand hits record 256 GW on Saturday amid heatwave surge

New Delhi: India's peak power demand hit a record 256 GW on Saturday as several parts of the country continued to reel under severe heatwave conditions. It marked a 4 GW rise from Friday's peak demand of 252 GW. The power ministry has projected a peak power demand of 263 MW in April and 271 GW for this year. The previous record of peak demand was at 250 GW in May 2024.

Peak demand was comparatively lower at 243 GW during summer 2025 due to favourable weather conditions and an early monsoon.

Also Read: Peak power at record high of 252 GW on Friday amid soaring mercury levels


Maximum day temperatures were in the range of 40-45°c over most parts of the country except the western Himalayan region, northeast India, west coast, and southern parts of peninsular India, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The government has prepared capacities to meet the projected demand as the summer progresses. The critical factor is during the evening hours, when solar goes off the grid, which increases the need for flexible power sources such as wind power, hydro power, and battery storage systems.

Usually, gas-based power plants of around 8-10 GW capacity also fill the gap which may not be available this year because of fuel supply constraints caused by the Iran war. The government has, however, asked coal-based power units of 10 GW capacities to defer planned maintenance to fill that gap.

India's solar energy generation touched 657 million units on Saturday.

"Solar energy is no longer a supplementary source; it is now carrying a significant share of India's daytime demand," said Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, CEO, National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI).

NSEFI has projected solar to surpass thermal in terms of installed capacity in the next two years.