Electricity demand peaks in Punjab ahead of the sowing season: Report

Electricity demand in Punjab has surpassed last year’s demand, with the peak in June being 12.3 gigawatt (Gw) versus 11.5 Gw last year. 

In Haryana, demand has reached 8.5 Gw versus 9.4 Gw last year. 

The demand for power picks up in both the states by 3-4 Gw from May to June because of subsidised agricultural power demand ahead of the sowing season, according to an IDFC India Power Pulse report released on Thursday.  

The overall electricity generation declined 16 per cent in May and 23 per cent in April, primarily due to the lockdown. 

The plant load factor for coal-based generation in India was 48 per cent in May — a slight improvement over 42 per cent in the previous month, said the report. 

While renewables grew 8 per cent and 3 per cent in April and May, respectively, coal-based power fell 33 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively. 

The 2019-20 growth was 0.9 per cent — the lowest witnessed in the past two decades. 

While net generation was struggling to report growth as a result of the extended monsoon and weather patterns in the last financial year, the lockdown precipitated the slowdown, said the report.