India’s power demand hits all-time high amid heat wave
An unrelenting heat wave sweeping across vast swathes of India has soared electricity demand, and the Ministry of Power on Friday urged consumers to use power wisely and judiciously.
The appeal came at a time when 97 cities of the world’s 100 hottest cities recorded 45 degree plus temperature, with some clocking 48 degrees. The Government assured that it is equipped to meet the surging power demand. The biggest concern for residents is that there appears to be no immediate relief from the searing heat, with the Nautapa, a nine-day scorching heat beginning from May 25. India’s daytime peak power demand touched an all-time high of 270.82 gigawatts (GW) on May 21, with the Ministry of Power saying electricity consumption has broken previous records for four consecutive days due to intense summer conditions. In a post on X, the Ministry said rising temperatures and prolonged heatwave conditions have led to a sharp increase in electricity consumption, particularly during daytime hours when cooling demand remains at its peak. “Due to the intense heat wave in the country, the electricity demand is also increasing,” the ministry said.
According to AQI.in,97 of the world’s 100 hottest cities on Friday afternoon were in India, as a brutal heatwave tightened its grip across northern, central and eastern parts of the country, pushing temperatures well above 45 degrees Celsius by noon. Datta showed the global top-100 hottest cities list at 2:50 pm IST were overwhelmingly dominated by Indian cities, with Balangir in Odisha emerging as the hottest location at 48°C. It was followed by Sasaram in Bihar at 48°C and Varanasi at 47°C.
