PowerWatch | Power demand declines further, but remains above 200 GW

PowerWatch

India met a peak power demand of 204.5 gigawatts (GW) on May 25, down from 210.9 GW that was met a day before on May 24.

The peak demand deficit, which refers to the shortfall in meeting the demand, stood at 83 megawatts (MW) on May 25 against 90 MW on May 24.

On May 23, India met the highest ever peak demand of 221.34 GW. 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.

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.

The share of renewable energy sources (wind, solar and hybrid) in the total energy generation on May 25 was 16.60 percent. The share of renewable energy along with hydropower, nuclear and others was 27.94 percent, according to data.

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 temperature. The weatherman has predicted similar weather conditions for the next two-three days.

The coal stocks' situation continues to be “manageable”, as of now, data showed. Of the 165 domestic coal-based thermal power plants in the country, 28 had critical stocks as on May 25. 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.

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.