PowerWatch | India's May power demand remains lower than last year

The reduction in power demand this year can be attributed to rains and thunderstorms in several parts of the country.

India met a peak power demand of 172 gigawatts (GW) on May 3. The demand, which could not be met on the day, or the peak demand deficit, decreased to 256 megawatts (MW) from 297 MW from the day before (May 2).

On May 3, 2022, the peak power demand that was met was 199.4 GW, while the deficit was 943 MW. On May 2 this year, the peak power demand that was met was 173.2 GW, whereas, it was 204.4 GW on the same day last year. On May 1 this year, the demand was 159.72 GW, while, last year it was 190.5 GW, government records showed.

The reduction in demand this year in this period can be attributed to rains and thunderstorms in several parts of the country, leading to a drop in temperature that was lower than normal for this time of year. Normally, North India sees high temperatures and even heatwaves at this time, and the government had predicted the peak power demand to reach 230 GW this April.

On May 1, India experienced a peak power demand of 159.7 gigawatts (GW), the lowest for this day in three years. The demand, which could not be met on the day, or the peak demand deficit, was 53 megawatts (MW), the lowest in a decade, according to data seen by Moneycontrol.

The India Meteorological Department's (IMD) May 3 bulletin stated that several parts of India are likely to experience rainfall in the coming days, with some areas possibly affected by hailstorms. If such weather conditions continue, India's peak power demand will likely remain below the 200 GW mark for the rest of the week.

The coal stocks situation is “manageable”, as of now, data accessed by Moneycontrol shows. Of the 165 domestic coal-based thermal power plants in the country, 35 had critical stocks. Last year at this time, the number of such plants was around 96. About 33 million tonnes (MT) of coal are stocked at thermal power plants as on May 4.

Coal stock is said to be at a critical level when power plants have less than 25 percent of the normative 26 days of fuel with them.