Page 4 - Power Demand Forecast

Friday's thunderstorm caused an 11 GW electricity load crash in North India

According to reports from state load despatch centres in North India, electricity demand fell by half in just 30 to 55 minutes when the storm hit

India's coal import surges 8% to 268 MT in FY24 due to rise in power demand

India's coal import rose by 7.7 per cent to 268.24 million tonne (MT) in FY24 driven by softness in seaborne prices and likelihood of increase in power demand during summer. The country's coal import was 249.06 MT in FY23, according to data compiled by B2B e-commerce company mjunction services. Coal import in March FY24 also rose to 23.96 MT, over 21.12 MT in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal. Of the total volume recorded in March 2024, non-coking coal import stood at 15.33 MT, against 13.88 MT in March FY23. Coking coal import in March 2024 was 5.34 MT against 3.96 MT a year ago. During FY24, non-coking coal import was at 175.96 MT, higher than 162.46 MT imported during FY23. Coking coal import was at 57.22 MT in 2023-24, against 54.46 MT in 2022-23. "There was an increase in coal import volumes due to the continued softness in seaborne prices and expectation of a demand uptick during the summer season. However, as there is ample availability of domestic coal in the

Gas-based plants directed to run from May 1 to Jun 30 as power demand rises

The government has directed all gas-based power generating stations to operationalise their plants from May 1 to June 30 in view of rise in electricity demand due to a likely prolonged heat wave this summer. A significant portion of Gas-Based Generating Stations (GBSs) is currently unutilized, primarily due to commercial considerations. The ministry has projected 260 GW peak power demand this summer (April to June 2024). Peak power demand had touched an all-time high of 243 GW in September last year. The decision to operationalise GBSs is part of a series of measures taken by the Centre to ensure that electricity demand in the summer is met. According to a power ministry statement, the order shall remain valid for generation and supply of electricity from May 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024. "To ensure maximum power generation from Gas-Based Generating Stations, the government has issued directions to all Gas-Based Generating Stations under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003, under

AI, power purchase deals to help Delhi meet summer demand of 8,000 MW

The use of latest technologies such as artificial intelligence and long-term power purchase agreements with other states are among the steps taken by discoms to meet the national capital's high power demand this summer, officials said on Monday. With high temperatures projected for the season, Delhi's peak power demand is expected to cross 8,000 MW for the first time, reaching up to 8,200 MW, according to State Load Dispatch Centre data. The officials said the city's previous high was 7,695 MW in 2022 and last year's peak power demand was 7,438 MW. The peak power demand in the areas covered by BSES Rajdhani Power Limited's (BRPL) -- South and West Delhi -- which were 3,250 MW and 3,389 MW in the summers of 2023 and 2022 respectively, are expected to reach around 3,679 MW this summer, a BSES spokesperson said. The other BSES discom BYPL recorded the peaks of 1,670 MW and 1,752 MW during the summers of 2023 and 2022 respectively, in its distribution areas of Central and East Delhi.

India's power consumption subdued at 1.4% to 129.89 bn units in March

India's power consumption growth remained subdued at 1.4 per cent to 129.89 billion units (BU) in March as compared to the year-ago period mainly due to pleasant weather, according to government data. In March 2023, power consumption stood at 128.12 BU, lower than 128.47 BU recorded in the same month a year earlier, the data showed. The highest supply in a day (peak power demand) rose to 221.70 GW in March 2024 as opposed to 208.92 GW in March 2023 and 199.43 GW in March 2022. Experts said power consumption as well as demand growth remained subdued in March as the weather remained pleasant across the country and people did not feel the need for heating or cooling appliances, especially in north India. The power ministry has estimated around 260 GW of peak demand during summer. The experts said power demand as well as consumption will see robust growth April onwards with the onset of summer. The power ministry had estimated the country's electricity demand to touch 229 GW during s

Analysts see more steam in power stocks as India eyes harsh summer

Coal reserves at power plants have also surged by 15 days to 43 million tonnes, marking the highest level in nearly three and a half years

Uttar Pradesh govt to rake in Rs 80K crore through solar energy push

The Yogi Adityanath government is planning installations of rooftop solar plants and solar parks to achieve this target

Continue importing 6% of coal needs till June, govt tells gencos

Logistical challenges, higher power demand nudge govt to extend import mandate

Peak power demand estimated to rise 7% to 260 GW this summer: Report

Peak power demand in the country is estimated to rise by seven per cent year-on-year to 260 GW this summer, according to a senior official. The peak power demand during the summer of 2023 touched 243 GW against a projection of 229 GW. "We expect the peak power demand this year (in summers) at 260GW," Central Electricity Authority Chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad told reporters on the sidelines of the Fourth Edition of Lineman Diwas in the capital. The power ministry had estimated the country's electricity demand to touch 229 GW during summers in 2023, but it did not reach the projected level in April-July due to unseasonal rainfall. Peak supply, however, touched a new high of 224.1 GW in June before dropping to 209.03 GW in July. Peak demand touched 238.82 GW in August 2023, while it was 243.27 GW in September, 222.16 GW in October, 204.77 GW in November, 213.79 GW in December 2023, and 222.73 GW in January 2024. Power consumption was affected in March, April, May and June last year

Green energy push: India's companies charge up on power policy shift

Rush to tie up green energy through open access in C&I segment after two key policy amendments last year

Companies to see more gains as India's power demand surge continues

The power demand for the quarterly period of October-December 2023 was 10 per cent higher than the previous year

India sees higher peak in electricity demand as power consumption surges

Government officials now expect electricity demand to surge to a high of 384 gigawatts in the 12 months through March 2032, a 5 per cent increase on an estimate issued in May,

India's incremental demand to equal UK's current power consumption in 3 yrs

India remains heavily dependent on coal to meet its energy needs

India's coal imports register 27% rise in December, reaches 23.35 MT

India's coal import registered a rise of 27.2 per cent to 23.35 Million Tonne (MT) in December, over the corresponding month of the previous fiscal. The coal ministry is aiming for zero thermal coal import by FY26. The country's coal import was 18.35 MT in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal, according to data compiled by mjunction services ltd. mjunction services ltd is a B2B e-commerce platform. "Coal imports in December 2023 stood around 23.35 million tonne...Imports in December 2023 were up by 27.25 per cent as compared to 18.35 MT recorded for December 2022," it said. Of the total imports in December, non-coking coal imports stood at 15.47 MT, against 10.61 MT imported in December 2022. Coking coal import volume was 4.84 MT, against 4.71 MT imported in the same month of the previous financial year. The coal import in the April-December period of the current fiscal increased to 192.43 MT, over 191.82 MT in the year-ago period. During the April-December period of t

Rajasthan govt turns to open market as power cuts hit irrigation

This is prompting the Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam to purchase electricity from the open market, sources in the state energy department said

Delhi's winter peak power demand reaches all-time high of 5,816 MW

The unrelenting cold conditions in Delhi pushed the city's peak winter power demand to its highest-ever level of 5,816 megawatts (MW) on Monday morning, discom officials said. The previous 'winter' records in Delhi were 5,798 MW on January 19, 5,726 MW on January 17 and 5,701 MW on January 12. The discoms had estimated the peak power demand in Delhi to be 5,760 MW. The power demand reached 5,816 MG at 10.52 am on Monday, according to the city. This is the sixth time in January this year that Delhi's winter power demand has surpassed last year's peak of 5,526 MW recorded on January 6, 2023, the officials said. A BSES spokesperson said the discoms of the company BRPL and BYPL met the peak power demand of 2,526 MW and 1,209 MW respectively on the day without any glitches. The Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) met the highest winter peak power demand of 1,826 MW in its distribution area of North Delhi, a company spokesperson said. So far this month, the peak power deman

Peak power demand in India may cross 400 Gw by 2030, says R K Singh

Peak power demand in India is likely to cross 400 GW by 2030 and more generation capacity is being set up to meet the rising demand, Union Power Minister R K Singh has said. Electricity is the most important infrastructure which is a sine qua non for development, the minister said at a summit here on Thursday. One major distinguishing feature between a developing and a developed country is that in a developed country, there is no load shedding, the minister was quoted as saying in a release by the Power Ministry. "No country can develop if it does not have sufficient power. The power shortage in India has come down from around 4.5 per cent in 2014 to less than 1 per cent today. We have ensured universal electricity access, connecting 29 million homes in 19 months, which the International Energy Agency called the largest and fastest expansion of energy access in the history of the power sector, he added. Speaking about the rising power demand, the minister informed that in 2014, th

Delhi winter power demand touches record high of 5.7 Gw, shows data

Sector executives said it was expected that Delhi's power demand would touch a new record. Since January 1, the power demand in the national capital has been above 5 GW

Delhi's winter power demand reaches all-time high amid ongoing cold wave

The continuing cold conditions in Delhi further pushed peak winter power demand to an all-time high of 5611 MW on Wednesday morning, discom officials said. As per real-time data of State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) Delhi, the peak power demand was 5611 MW at 11.08 AM, they said. The previous all-time high winter peak demand was 5559 MW last Friday, they said. The spike in power demand is mainly due to enhanced use of electricity by consumers for heating purposes, discom officials said. The minimum temperature in Delhi on Friday was recorded at 7.1 degrees Celsius. The city on Monday recorded its coldest day of the month so far as the minimum temperature dropped to 5.3 degrees Celsius.

Energy conundrum: Govt to double coal production despite climate goals

Later, the power minister Raj Kumar Singh set out plans on Dec. 22 to add 88 gigawatts of thermal power plants by 2032. The vast majority of which will burn coal