India's Peak Power Demand Hits Record 250 GW

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) India's peak power demand touched an all-time high of 250 GW on Thursday, according to the power ministry.

In a significant achievement for India's power sector, the country met a record maximum power demand of 250 GW on May 30, 2024, the ministry said in a statement.

Peak power demand was at a record high of 246GW on Wednesday due to excessive use of cooling appliances like air conditioners and coolers.

Moreover, it said that all India non-solar demand met also touched an all-time high of 234.3 GW on 29th May, reflecting the combined impact of weather-related loads and growing industrial and residential power consumption.

On 30th May, the Northern region also achieved a record demand met, reaching an all-time high of 86.7 GW, while the Western region also touched its maximum demand met of 74.8 GW.

Additionally, all-India thermal generation hit an all-time high, achieving a peak of 176 GW (ex-bus), especially during non-solar hours. A key contributor to this has been the strategic implementation of Section-11, which facilitated the maximization of generation from imported coal-based plants as well as gas based plants.

This surge further underscores the significant capacity and operational efficiency of India's thermal power plants, which continue to be the backbone of the nation's energy mix.

Support from renewable energy sources especially solar during solar hours and wind during non solar hours is also very significant in meeting the demand.

These achievements are a testament to the coordinated efforts of various stakeholders in the power sector, including government agencies, power generation companies, and grid operators.