Night after night, power demand in UP breaks records, now surges to 31,347 mw

The peak power demand has more than doubled in the last 12 years from just 15,670 mw in 2013-14 to over 31,000 mw in June 2025

: With Uttar Pradesh witnessing an unprecedented surge in electricity demand, driven by relentless heat and rising humidity, the state’s power consumption hit a new all-time high on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, surpassing the peak recorded over the previous three nights, officials said.

The demand has been consistently climbing for the past week, with no signs of easing as heat continues to grip most parts of the state (For representation only)

According to data from the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), the maximum demand reached 31,347 mw around midnight—breaking Monday night’s record of 31,104 mw, which itself surpassed the peaks of Saturday and Sunday when the maximum demand was recorded at 30,161 mw.

Last year, the state experienced peak power demand at 30,618 mw on June 13, breaking all previous records.

The demand has been consistently climbing for the past week, with no signs of easing as heat continues to grip most parts of the state. The UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) expects the maximum demand of the current year to cross 32,000 mw any day between June and September, most likely in June only.

On June 6, 7, and 8, the state supplied 28,581 mw, 29,502 mw and 30,161 mw electricity respectively — a supply level that exceeds the peak consumption of several major states in the country.

On June 9, as energy minister AK Sharma claimed in a press statement that UP’s supply outpaced even high-demand states such as Gujarat (25,230 mw), Maharashtra (25,191 mw), Tamil Nadu (17,867 mw), Rajasthan (16,562 mw) and Punjab (15,508 mw).

Till last year, Maharashtra used to be the state on top in the peak power demand distantly followed by UP. The gap, however, started narrowing down over the year and last year UP’s demand outpaced that of Maharashtra.

Significantly, the over 31,000 mw demand that UP is experiencing these days is only restricted demand and not the actual one. The consumers’ categories like rural, semi urban towns and small cities still do not get 24-hour power supply. Their supply hours remain restricted to 18-20 hours.

“The combination of intense daytime heat and unusually high nighttime humidity is causing people to use air conditioners and coolers round the clock,” said UPPCL chairman Ashish Kumar Goel.

“We’re seeing record-breaking demand almost every night with the demand reaching an all-time high at 31,347 mw on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday,” he said.

Increasing power demand in the state was also an indication of growing prosperity with people being able to afford more and more electrical gadgets, including ACs and coolers, he said.

“Also, the number of electricity connections has increased several times over the years and this also contributes to the demand increase,” he said.

The official data show that the annual power consumption in the state increased from 81,598 million units (MUs) in 2013-14 to 1,63,852 MUs, the jump being over 100% in 12 years. As many as 34676 MUs have already been consumed from April to June 10 this financial year even as around 10 months are still left.

In megawatts, the peak power demand more than doubled in the last 12 years from just 15,670 mw in 2013-14 to more than 31,000 mw in June 2025. Unlike now, in 2013-14, there was around 2,000 mw peak deficit.

“We have anticipated the maximum demand to be 32,000-35,000 in UP this year and going by the increasing trend, the demand may even touch 33,000 mw,” UP Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (UPPTCL) managing director Rupesh Kumar said.

“The last night’s demand was at an all-time high,” he said.

Despite the load, power officials claimed that the state is managing the demand without resorting to additional load-shedding. “We’ve ramped up supply from various sources and are keeping a close watch on grid stability,” Goyel claimed.

Meteorological forecasts suggest the heat and humidity will persist for several more days, likely pushing demand further. Goyel appealed to consumers to pay their bills on time and enjoy uninterrupted power supply despite record demand.

Average Power Supply Hours in UP in 2025

Rural 18.32

Nagar Panchayat 21.23

Tehsil level towns 21.37

Districts headquarters 24

Divisional Headquarters 24

Bundelkhand 20

Mahanagar 24

Industries 24

Consumer category-wise share in power consumption in %

Domestic 46

Industrial 20

Commercial 07

Agriculture 21