Power demand hits record 250 Gw, coal, gas driving bulk of supply

India's power demand on Thursday touched a record high of 250 gigawatts (GW). The peak demand was witnessed during the afternoon, which is non-solar power hours.

"All India non-solar demand met has also touched an all-time high of 234.3 GW, reflecting the combined impact of weather-related loads and growing industrial and residential power consumption in these areas," said a statement by the ministry of power.

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 maximisation of generation from imported coal-based plants as well as gas-based plants," the statement said.

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

This paper has reported that a bulk of India's power demand is being met with coal-based power, with support being provided by gas units which have been operationalised this year.