Unexpected rains pull down peak power deficit to 2.8% in Feb

Unexpected rains across the country brought down the peak power deficit -- shortfall in electricity supply when the demand is maximum -- to 2.8 per cent last month.
Peak power demand during February was 1,37,948 MW, of which 1,34,102 MW was met, leaving a deficit of 3,846 MW, according to the data by Central Electricity Authority.
Power shortage in January stood at 3.1 per cent.
"Continuing sluggishness in industrial activity and unseasonal rains throughout the country contributed to the muted demand for electricity in February," said Debasish Mishra, Senior Director (Consulting), Deloitte.
However, he added that the demand for electricity will go up significantly with the onset of summer.

Western states, including Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra were least affected as the deficit in those states was merely 0.5 per cent.

The deficit in the western part of the country during January was 1.6 per cent, the data said.
The seven north-eastern sister states of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland were the worst affected with 7 per cent peak power deficit.
Total electricity requirement of the region was 2,318 MW as compared to a supply of 2,155 MW.
The power shortage in the region during January was 10.3 per cent.
Eastern states of the country, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Sikkim witnessed a shortfall of merely 0.7 per cent or 113 MW.

Total power demand of the region stood at 15,445 MW as against the supply of 15,332 MW, CEA data said.
The same shortfall, a month ago, was 1.3 per cent.
Meanwhile, peak electricity shortfall in the northern and southern regions rose to 4.3 and 4.4 per cent, respectively.
In February, total electricity demand of north India, comprising Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, was 39,764 MW, of which 38,043 MW was met.
During the same month, the power requirement of southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu was 37,455 MW and supply was 35,822 MW.

These regions reported a shortfall of 3.8 and 4.2 per cent, respectively, in January.