New Delhi, May 19 (PTI) India’s peak power demand surged to an all-time high of 260.45 GW on Tuesday, mainly due to increased usage of cooling devices such as air-conditioners and desert coolers amid intensifying heat wave conditions, according to the power ministry.
“Today, the peak power demand (solar hours) of 260.45 GW was met successfully at 15:40 hrs. This is a new high surpassing yesterday’s peak demand (solar hours) of 257.37 GW, which was also successfully met,” the Ministry of Power said in a post on social media platform X. The ministry also stated that Yesterday (Monday) at 15:42 hours, the peak power demand of 257.37 GW was met without any shortfall.
This peak demand was a new high, surpassing the previous record of 256.1 GW, which was met on April 25, 2026, it said. Monday’s peak demand eclipsed the previous all-time high of 256.11 GW recorded on April 25 at 1538 hrs. The power ministry has projected that the peak power demand would reach 270 GW this summer. Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast the continuation of the heatwave this week in large parts of northwest and central India, as the mercury inched towards the 45-degree mark in many places on Monday. Isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi are expected to witness heatwave conditions between Monday and May 24, while severe heatwave conditions are set to hit parts of Uttar Pradesh from Tuesday onwards, the weather office has said. Bhatinda in Punjab reeled under intense heat with the temperature touching a high of 47 degrees Celsius during the day on Monday, while parts of Haryana and Rajasthan also witnessed the day’s temperature above 46 degrees Celsius. Parts of Delhi have seen the mercury touching 44 degrees Celsius on Monday, and the city is staring at an extended spell of punishing heat in the upcoming week. The country’s peak power demand has risen with temperatures from April onwards and further intensified in May. Experts said demand and consumption of electricity may rise further due to rising temperatures, more frequent use of air-conditioners, air coolers, and other appliances by domestic and commercial consumers. Last summer, the peak power demand was 242.77 GW, recorded in June, 2025, but stayed below the government’s estimate of 277 GW. In May 2024, the peak power demand reached 250 GW, a record at that time and exceeding the previous all-time peak of 243.27 GW set in September 2023. PTI KKS HVAThis report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
