VIJAYAWADA: Due to soaring temperatures and easing of restrictions, the State’s energy requirement, that reduced drastically due to lockdown, is increasing gradually. From an average of 150-160 million units (MU) a day in April, the energy requirement shot up to over 193 MUs a day in the last week of May.
According to data released by the state load monitoring cell, the unrestricted peak demand rose till May 28 and the highest peak of 10,101 megawatts (MW) was seen on May 27. This is not only the maximum unrestricted peak demand in over two months, but is only marginally lower than the last recorded peak of 10,207 MW before the lockdown on March 18.
Observing that the rising mercury levels and relaxations in lockdown restrictions are the reasons for the energy requirement shooting up, the officials said the demand would increase further in the coming days. “The normal daily requirements in April and May are over 190 MUs. In 2019, we had an average demand of 188 MU per day in the two months. This year, April and May average is 165 MU per day, with most demand recorded in the last one week,” an official explained.
With the daily demand set to remain over 190 MUs, the APGENCO, which used the lockdown period for maintenance works and stocking of coal, has scaled up thermal power generation. The officials have also ramped up production and procurement of energy from other sources. Despite operational issues due to excess heat, the officials said, all steps were taken to ensure no load shedding.