Statsguru: Peak power deficit resurfaces marginally as temperatures soar

Extreme heat across north and central India is pushing electricity demand to record highs, exposing supply gaps and testing the resilience of the power system

Most of northwest and central India is in the grip of an intense heatwave, with maximum temperatures hitting 43-48° Celsius (C).  Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization, said the temperatures being recorded now are “very close to the limit of human tolerability.” 

The International Energy Agency has warned that extreme temperatures are driving demand for cooling technologies such as air conditioners, pushing electricity use to record levels and straining power grids. India’s peak power demand hit an all-time high of 270.82 Gw on May 21. Peak supply that day stood at 269.13 Gw, widening the power deficit to 0.62 per cent, the highest since September 2023. 

The highest temperature in 2026 stood 48.2° C on May 27. Data for heatwaves and consequent deaths are available only till 2024. India recorded the most extreme heat year in three decades in 2024, which also saw the second-highest heatwave death toll in three decades. 

  The power deficit, near zero since 2023, re-surfaced this May.   

 

Haryana and Punjab recorded the steepest peak power deficits on May 21. 

  

Thermal power dominates electricity generation but its share fell while that of renewables rose between May 2021 and May 21. 

    

The installed power generation capacity rose by 40 per cent in five years. 

  

Reservoir levels fall below half capacity every summer, recovering after the monsoon. Yet this April, storage stood at 38.49 per cent of live capacity — the highest for the month in five years.