New Delhi (NVI): With a surge in commercial and industrial activities after the lifting of lockdown curbs in recent months, India’s electricity demand hit a new record of 185.82 gigawatts yesterday, crossing the previous high of 182.88GW recorded December 30 last year.
Union Power Minister RK Singh confirmed the new record in energy demand yesterday. “The peak demand for power crossed 1,85,820 Megawatt at 9:35 AM on today. This is the highest ever, a record,” he said in a series of tweets.
The peak demand for power crossed 1,85,820 Megawatt at 9:35 AM on today. This is the highest ever, a record.
— R. K. Singh (@RajKSinghIndia) January 20, 2021
Singh said that the demand (and supply) of power in January (upto 19.01.2021) has grown by 8% as compared to the corresponding period last year. “This is the highest rate of growth ever. The surging demand for power is a certain indicator that our economy is getting back on track,” he said.
“The surging demand also shows the success of Subhagya, under which we gave all homes including the poor and the underprivileged access to power. This is a matter of satisfaction for us in the Ministry of Power,” he said in another tweet.
Notably, the rise in power demand hints at a recovery phase and overall boost to economic activity in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the rise in demand is good news for power producers, as coal-based power plants were running at only 53% utilisation level in December owing to lower consumption.
-ARK
