PowerWatch: Peak power demand on May 23 breaches previous high

PowerWatch

On May 23, the country's peak power demand stood at 221.34 gigawatt (GW) at 2:50 pm, the highest so far. The peak demand deficit, which refers to the shortfall in meeting the demand, stood at 211 megawatts (MW).

The demand on May 23 exceeded the previous high of 221.07 GW, which was met on May 17 when large parts of the country were experiencing heatwave conditions. The deficit on May 17 was 1,777 MW.

On May 22, the demand that was met amounted to 220.9 GW. The peak demand deficit stood at 766 megawatts (MW) on that day.

On May 19, the country met a peak power demand of 218 GW, followed by 217.1 GW on May 20 and 207.93 GW on May 21. The peak demand deficit for those days stood at 652 MW, 448 MW, and 245 MW, respectively.

Due to the heatwave conditions in several parts of the country, it is anticipated that the peak power demand met may surpass the current high in the coming days. However, it may not happen in the current week as sporadic rains have lashed some parts of north India, bringing down the temparature. The weatherman has predicted similar weather conditions for the next two-three days.

In 2022, the highest peak demand met was 212 GW on June 10.

The Power Ministry expects the peak demand to reach 230 GW this summer, with Power Minister RK Singh stating that the country is prepared to meet this demand.

As of now, the country's coal stock situation remains manageable. According to data, out of the 165 domestic coal-based thermal power plants in the country, 30 had critical coal stocks as of May 23. Last year at the same time, the number of such plants was around 96-110. Approximately 33 million tonnes (MT) of coal are currently stocked at the thermal power plants.