India's electricity output falls steeply in first half of June

Power generation fell 14.5 percent in the first 15 days of June, a Reuters analysis of daily load despatch data from federal grid operator POSOCO showed, compared with a 14.3 percent fall in May.

Reuters

June 19, 2020 / 15:00 IST

Representative image

India's electricity generation during the first half of June fell at a slightly faster rate than in May, provisional government data showed, driven by lower consumption in western states hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak.

Power generation fell 14.5 percent in the first 15 days of June, a Reuters analysis of daily load despatch data from federal grid operator POSOCO showed, compared with a 14.3 percent fall in May.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been citing electricity consumption to show there are "greenshoots" in the Indian economy.

While power use has picked up from previous months when India was under a strict lockdown, electricity demand - which is impacted by seasonal changes - has been lower when compared with the same periods from the previous year.

Electricity use by the industrial western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat - the top electricity consuming states in the country - fell over 24 percent each, compared with declines of 13.8 percent and 18.9 percent in May. Consumption in Delhi fell nearly 30 percent, a steeper fall than the 26.8 percent decline in May.

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