Amid severe heatwave, Delhi records peak power demand in history

The extreme heatwave is causing Delhi's power demand to rise sharply. The government data showed that power demand in the country hit 234 GW.

Amid a severe heatwave hitting most parts of India, the power demand, as the need for air conditioners and coolers is on the rise, reached a record high of 234 gigawatts (GW) on Tuesday.

A woman pours water on her head to cool herself amid the ongoing heatwave, at the Swami Vivekananda Camp Chanakyapuri in New Delhi. (ANI)

The extreme heatwave is causing Delhi's power demand to rise sharply. According to the State Load Despatch Center (SLDC) data at 3:33pm on Tuesday, Delhi's peak power demand reached 7717 MW, the highest ever in the city's history.

Government data showed that power demand in the country hit 234 GW, up from the expected 225 GW to 235 GW in May. In June, power demand is expected to be between 235 and 240 GW, with 235 GW in the evening and 240 GW during the day.

According to official data, this is the fourth day in a row that Delhi's peak power demand has exceeded 7,000 MW, breaking the previous May record of 7070 MW set on May 19, 2022.

Severe heatwave conditions are expected to continue in northwest India, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat for the next five days.

The government said it is taking all necessary steps to meet the electricity demand this summer. To ensure this, a series of meetings were held, focusing on preventing any power outages during the summer season.

A heatwave is defined as temperatures of at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains and 30 degrees Celsius in hilly areas.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) expects higher-than-normal temperatures across the country this summer. Peak energy demand increased by 12.7 per cent, from 215,888 MW in 2022-23 to 243,271 MW in 2023-24. The peak demand met grew by 13.9 per cent, from 210,725 MW in 2022-23 to 239,931 MW in 2023-24.

Heatwave conditions in north India

On Monday, the highest temperature of 47.4 degrees Celsius was reported in Najafgarh (Delhi).

Delhi schools were ordered to announce summer vacations instantly on Tuesday by the Directorate of Education (DoE).

It said in a notice, “All the government schools are closed w.e.f. 11.05.24. However, it has been observed that some of the Govt. Aided and Unaided Recognized Private Schools are still open during the ongoing severe heat waves. Therefore, all the heads of government-aided and unaided recognized private schools in Delhi are advised to close the schools for summer vacation with immediate effect.”

IMD issued a severe heatwave alert for Rajasthan on Tuesday.

On May 23, some areas in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Saurashtra, and Kutch are expected to experience heatwave conditions.