Mercury Rising: Peak power demand hits record 260.5 GW

New Delhi: India's peak power demand smashed all records to touch 260.5 GW at 15:40 hours on Tuesday, as heat wave conditions and persistently high temperatures continued across large parts of the country, driving a sharp rise in electricity consumption.

The latest peak surpassed the previous all-time high of 257.37 GW recorded during the solar hours on Monday. India also hit its highest non-solar-hour peak demand on record at 247.21 GW on Monday at 10:29 pm.

The latest demand levels underline a rapid increase in electricity consumption this year. The rise comes even before the peak summer months of June. The peak demand recorded is still lower than the projected 271 GW for the season. "The government has prepared for a peak demand situation of up to 280 GW," a government official told ET.


A power ministry statement on Monday's peak demand of 257.37 GW said electricity availability in the country is sufficient and robust mechanisms are in place to meet the summer demand.

The growing evening demand is also bringing renewed focus on the need for storage systems and flexible generation capacity to manage non-solar-hour consumption.

According to industry experts, a sharp rise in post-sunset demand highlights the importance of battery energy storage, pumped hydro storage, wind, hydro and thermal capacities in maintaining grid stability as renewable energy penetration rises.