Hyderabad: Electricity demand Telangana reached an all-time record of 19,543 megawatts on September 9, according to power officials.
The peak demand stood at 19,467 megawatts on Thursday and 18,954 megawatts on Friday. The 19,543-megawatt figure marked the highest peak demand recorded in the history of the united state and Telangana.
Scorching heat, inadequate rainfall and the impact of El Nino contributed to the sharp rise in electricity demand. Meanwhile, power company officials said demand had also increased nationally by an additional 100 gigawatts.
Usually, electricity demand peaks during April and May because of intense summer temperatures. However, this year, conditions during the rainy season have resembled those normally seen in summer.
Rainfall remained below expectations, while temperatures increased across the state. As a result, electricity demand rose sharply, with agricultural consumption adding further pressure.
Until a week earlier, Telangana’s peak demand had remained below 18,000 megawatts. However, demand climbed to 19,543 megawatts on September 9.
The latest peak was almost 1,000 megawatts higher than the previous record. This sharp increase highlighted the pressure on the state’s electricity system.
Electricity demand Telangana drives higher power purchases
The state currently consumes an average of 310 million units of electricity every day. However, available generation within the state has not increased sufficiently to meet the rising demand.
TG Genco currently supplies about 90 million units of electricity per day. Therefore, the state purchases another 140 million units through Central Generating Stations and other sources.
More than half of the state’s daily electricity requirement is thus being met through purchases from outside the state. The gap between local generation and consumption has increased as demand continued to rise.
Experts said Telangana would need to strengthen its power generation, transmission and distribution systems. They also warned that demand and consumption could increase further during the next summer.
Meanwhile, the record peak demand has added pressure to the state’s power supply arrangements. The continuing combination of higher temperatures, weak rainfall and agricultural demand has contributed to the increase.