New Delhi: India’s peak power demand hit an all-time high of 252 GW on April 24 as temperatures soared across the country, pushing power consumption to record highs, reports Atul Mathur.According to Grid Controller of India data, power demand reached 252.1 GW at 3.28 pm on Friday, higher than 240.1 GW recorded on April 23, due to increased use of ACs in both domestic and commercial sectors. Earlier, the highest demand till date was recorded on May 30, 2024, when it was 249.9 GW.

Banda was hottest on Saturday

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a scorching heat this year, with the power ministry estimating the maximum power demand at 271 GW. With heat wave conditions prevailing in large parts of the country, officials said power demand and consumption is likely to increase further this month.To put this in perspective, the peak power demand recorded in April last year was 235 GW. Due to mild weather in 2025, peak demand reached a year’s high of 242.8 GW on June 12, although the power ministry had projected demand to reach 270 GW. Due to extreme cold conditions in North and Northeast India, the power demand crossed the 245 GW mark on January 9 this year.According to data compiled by Grid India, power consumption remained low till April 12 due to mild weather and sporadic rains in North India, but has been increasing steadily since April 13.Demand this week defied the grid controller’s forecast, which had estimated a peak of about 240 GW on April 24. For the week of April 27 – May 3, demand is projected to be low initially, but to increase to 246 GW on May 1.Officials said the demand may increase further as the IMD has indicated that heat wave conditions may develop in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and isolated parts of Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and Central India in the coming days.“These weather conditions will increase power consumption across the country and the power demand may increase further, reaching a new high in the coming days,” an official said.