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Some parts of India are grappling with power cuts as record-breaking heat has pushed electricity demand to an all-time high in excess of 270 gigawatts, spurring a government call for consumers to limit use.
An El Niño weather pattern is bringing above-average summer temperatures across the subcontinent in May, with nighttime outages running from 40 minutes to an hour in the manufacturing and infotech hub of Chennai, residents said.
“South Chennai has seen frequent power cuts over the past two days, with outages at short intervals,” said R. Hari, a resident of the southern city, who complained that they made it difficult to work from home.
India’s peak power deficit late on Thursday evening was about 2.57 gigawatts, said national regulator Grid-India.
