PowerWatch | Peak power demand rises amid monsoon season

PowerWatch

The country witnessed a peak power demand of 204.5 gigawatts (GW) on June 18, 211.78 GW on June 17 and 211.96 GW on June 16. The demand, which could not be met on these days, or the peak demand deficit, stood at 12 megawatts (MW), 67 MW and 463 MW, respectively.

On June 15, the peak power demand was 210.9 GW, while the shortage was of 1457 MW.  The power demand has remained low because of monsoon and pre-monsoon showers, which lashed several parts of the country. The India Meteorological Department has announced that the southwest monsoon is expected to reach Mumbai in less than 72 hours. Monsoon arrived in the state of Maharashtra on June 11th, one day later than usual.

Also read: Exclusive | Amid high production, coal mines grapple with storage issues.

On June 9, the country witnessed a record-high power demand of 223.23 GW, surpassing the previous high of 222.92 GW recorded on June 8.

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

Coal stocks continued to be manageable, as of now, data showed. Of the 165 domestic coal-based thermal power plants in the country, 31 had critical stocks as on June 18. Last year, at this time, there were 96-105 such plants. At least, 33.9 million tonnes (MT) of coal are stocked at thermal power plants.

Keeping in mind the sustained growth in power demand, the government on June 12 also extended its direction to imported coal-based plants to mandatorily operate and generate power till September 30 this year. This direction was issued under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003. Prior to the June 12 extension, the mandate was to be valid till June 15.