Power Ministry May Raise FY32 Peak Demand Forecast Amid Rising Consumption

Amidst rapidly increasing electricity consumption, the Power Ministry is reassessing its forecast of peak demand for 2031-32, as the current projection of 384 GW appears to be improbably low.

"We are now working on and updating our projections. We have been working with the states. Some of these states have already updated their demand and very shortly we will be updating our national electricity plan also," power secretary Pankaj Agarwal said on the sidelines of the Confederation of India Industry (CII)'s Conference on Smart Metering.

Speaking at the conference, Agarwal noted that peak power demand had already reached 250 GW in May.

"The way power demand has grown in some states in the last two years, the demand will touch 384 GW and may easily cross 400 GW by 2031-32. For this we must have an installed (power generation) capacity of 900 GW," Agarwal said.

This year, peak power demand hit an all-time high of 250.20 GW in May, surpassing the previous record of 243.27 GW set in September 2023.

India's peak demand surged to a record 250 GW in May due to heatwaves and higher-than-normal temperatures. Projections indicate that demand could rise to 260 GW this financial year.

Experts noted that the scorching heat and humidity in late June, brought on by the arrival of monsoon rains in many parts of the country, forced people to excessively use cooling appliances like air conditioners and desert coolers. This resulted in increased power consumption and a subsequent rise in overall power demand in the country.