Amid growing demand for electricity due to heatwaves in the country, power ministry on Friday urged citizens to use electricity judiciously. The ministry, however, said though there is no shortage of electricity, it should be used wisely.
In the last four days, electricity demand has broken all previous records due to the searing heat across the country, which has led to increased use of cooling devices by people. In fact, the peak power demand has even crossed the estimated 270.82 GW, the highest so far, surpassing the ministry’s projection of peak power demand in the country.
Over the past four days, power demand has continued to rise. For instance, the peak power demand met on May 18 was 257.37 GW, on May 19 it was 260.45 GW, on May 20 it reached 265.44 GW, and on May 21 it hit the highest level of 270.82 GW.
“The peak daytime demand usually occurs between 2 PM and 4 PM. Although we are prepared to supply electricity as required, due to the intense summer, let us all try to use electricity wisely and judiciously,” said the Power Ministry in a social media post on X.
The spike in electricity consumption comes amid severe heatwave conditions across northwest and central India. According to the India Meteorological Department, temperatures in several regions are nearing the 45-degree Celsius mark.
Last summer, India recorded a peak power demand of 242.77 GW in June 2025, although it remained below the government’s projected estimate of 277 GW.
In May 2024, the country’s peak power demand had touched 250 GW, surpassing the previous record high of 243.27 GW recorded in September 2023.
According to the ministry, the peak demand was met through a diversified energy mix comprising 59 GW from solar power, 14 GW from wind energy, 15 GW from hydro power, 169 GW from thermal power, 2.386 GW from gas-based generation, and 7.20 GW from nuclear power.