India’s electricity demand surged to a record high on Tuesday (May 19) as scorching temperatures drove up the use of cooling appliances like air conditioners.

Peak demand touched a record 260 gigawatts (GW) during daytime on Tuesday, surpassing yesterday’s peak demand.

According to the real-time data from National Power Portal (NPP), the peak power demand surged to 258 GW on Monday. Data from the Grid Controller of India, meanwhile, showed the peak demand at around 257 GW.

Both days have exceeded the earlier all-time high of 256 GW recorded on April 25.

Peak demand figures, whether daily or monthly, are largely statistical reference points, as they reflect the highest load recorded at any moment during a given period on a particular day, often for a brief duration.

At 3:23 PM on Monday, when demand hit the record level, thermal power plants accounted for the largest share of supply at 157.2 GW, the real-time data from NPP shows. Solar power contributed 61.3 GW, followed by hydropower at 14.8 GW and wind at 13.5 GW. Nuclear and gas-based generation contributed 7 gigawatt-electric (GWe) and 2.2 GW, respectively.

The surge comes as large parts of the country witnessed hot weather conditions on Monday. Maximum temperatures ranged between 40°C and 47°C on Monday across large parts of northwest, west and central India, as well as adjoining eastern and northern peninsular regions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a post on X. The highest temperature in the country was recorded at Banda in Uttar Pradesh, where the mercury touched 47.6°C.

Demand is expected to remain elevated through May, a month typically considered the peak of pre-monsoon summer before the rain arrives in June.

According to IMD’s special bulletin on Monday, heatwave conditions are likely to persist across large parts of northwest, central and eastern India this week, with some regions likely to experience severe heatwave conditions.

In northwest India, isolated parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi are likely to experience heatwave conditions from May 18 to May 24, IMD predicted. Similar conditions are expected in West and East Rajasthan during the same period, along with warm nights in some areas until May 21.

Uttar Pradesh is expected to face the most intense conditions, with West and East Uttar Pradesh likely to experience heatwave to severe heatwave conditions from May 19 to May 24, along with warm nights in some pockets.

In central India, isolated heatwave conditions are forecast in Madhya Pradesh till May 24. Similarly, similar heatwave conditions are likely to prevail over some parts of Chhattisgarh from May 20 to May 24. In Vidarbha, too, heatwave conditions are expected until May 23.

In eastern India, Bihar may experience heatwave conditions on 19, while Odisha is likely to witness hot and humid weather until May 22. In the south, Telangana is expected to face heatwave conditions from May 19 to May 21, while Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam are likely to see hot and humid weather on May 19, followed by heatwave conditions from May 20 to May 24.

The sustained rise in temperatures is expected to drive a further increase in electricity consumption in the coming days.

As per the Ministry of Power’s estimates, the peak power demand in the country is expected to touch 271 GW this year.

Night shortages persist

Meanwhile, shortages in meeting peak electricity demand during night hours continue to persist, as nearly 150 GW of installed solar capacity goes offline after sunset.

On Monday, when night-time peak demand touched 247 GW at 10:29 PM, the grid recorded a shortfall of around 1.3 GW, according to data from Grid Controller of India.

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A similar pattern had emerged in April as temperatures began rising sharply from mid-month, leading to increased stress on the power system during nighttime hours, this newspaper had earlier reported. In April, the nighttime power shortage shot up to a high of 5.4 gigawatts (GW), enough to serve 2.7 million rural homes, underscoring the strain after sunset.

The strain on the power system was also reflected in spot electricity prices, which have surged sharply during nighttime hours, highlighting the widening gap between electricity demand and supply after sunset.