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Electricity Demands
The United States is making an unprecedented attempt to revive three shuttered nuclear plants to meet rising energy demand, including from large-scale data centres. No commercial nuclear reactor is known to have resumed generating electricity after beginning the decommissioning process that takes one out of service, though some reactors have restarted after long outages. The Department of Energy is lending as much as USD 4.4 billion to restart the Palisades Power Plant in Michigan, the Crane Clean Energy Centre on Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island and the Duane Arnold Energy Centre in Iowa to restore a combined 2.25 gigawatts of electricity, which can power roughly 2 million homes and businesses. All three of the plants closed before their licenses expired, largely because the electricity they produced was considered too expensive. Not anymore. Two of the plants have contracts with Big Tech companies that will pay a premium to get large amounts of carbon-free energy for data centres.
The TNEB has implemented a series of immediate measures, including the procurement of an additional 2,000 MW of power, to ensure smooth and uninterrupted electricity supply across the state. An official release here on Sunday said that the state will be currently free from power deficits, maintaining a stable power supply for all consumers. It further said that to continuously monitor the grid and distribution status, a high-level committee of officials at the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) headquarters is operating round-the-clock, taking swift action and issuing real-time directives. Additionally, field inspection teams consisting of officers and ground staff were actively patrolling and carrying out field duties to maintain seamless distribution.
India's power consumption grew by 11.62 per cent to 166.46 billion units (BU) in June compared to the same month last year due to heat wave conditions and late onset of monsoon across the country, which pushed usage of cooling appliances like air conditioners, according to official data. The country's total power consumption was 149.13 BU in June 2025. The peak power demand also jumped to 264.76 GW last month from 242.77GW in June 2025. The southwest monsoon had set over Kerala on June 4, 2026. Generally, the monsoon arrives in Kerala around June 1, which marks the beginning of the southwest monsoon season (June-September). Thereafter, the slow progress of the monsoon in June led to heat wave conditions, which increased the use of cooling appliances like air conditioners and desert coolers, thereby increasing power demand and consumption, the experts said. They are of the view that power demand will be steady in July, as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts a sligh
India's power consumption grew 11.55 per cent year-on-year to 164.98 billion units (BU) in May, as heat wave conditions across the country pushed usage of cooling appliances like air conditioners and desert coolers, according to official data. The country's total power consumption was 147.89 BU in May 2025. The peak power demand jumped to an all-time record high of 270.82 GW last month from 230.99 GW recorded in May 2025 amid heat wave conditions. The peak power demand touched an all-time record high for four days in a row in May this year. The peak power demand was at a record high of 257.37 GW on May 18, 260.45 GW on May 19, 265.44 GW on May 20 and 270.82 GW on May 21. The peak power demand was at a record high of 256.11 GW on April 25. Earlier, the peak power demand had touched an all-time high of about 250 GW in May 2024. According to the power ministry, peak power demand was projected to hit 270 GW in the summer of 2026. Last summer, the peak power demand was 242.77 GW, r