The intense heatwave has pushed up power demand in North India. On May 30, the region recorded an all-time high power demand of 86.7 gigawatt (GW).

During May, the maximum power demand in a single day crossed 14,000 MW in Punjab, 12,000 MW in Haryana, 29,000 MW in Uttar Pradesh, 17,000 MW in Rajasthan, and 8,300 MW in Delhi, said the All India Power Engineers’ Federation (AIPEF).

Due to the rising temperatures, the power demand in Punjab touched 14,509 MW on May 22 against last year’s maximum demand of 11,987 MW – an increase of 20 per cent. The average daily supply by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in May also increased by around 37 per cent to 2,338 Lakh Units (LU) per day against last year’s supply of 1,700 LU per day.

Some power shortfalls have been reported across the region owing to local breakdowns caused by overloaded and overheated distribution and transmission networks, including transformers and cables. On paper, there is no shortage of electricity in these states, but on the ground, the situation is different as power outages are reported from different places every day.

In adjoining Haryana, the maximum power demand was 12,336 MW on May 24. The maximum power demand has increased by more than 23 per cent in May this year. The combined supply by Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) this May was 68,390 LU against 50,980 LU in May last year.