Electricity demand decreased for the first time in the last 15 months in India
New Delhi|The maximum demand for electricity in India is estimated to decline to 217 gigawatts in the month of August, from 238 gigawatts a year ago. This information was given in a report released on Tuesday.
According to the report of research agency CRISIL, the demand for electricity in the country has fallen by 5.3 percent on an annual basis to 144 billion units (BU) in August. The decrease in electricity demand is being seen at a time when August has received 7 percent more rainfall than average. Last month in July, electricity demand had seen an increase of 6.7 percent on an annual basis. Electricity demand has increased by 7 per cent on an annual basis during the April to August period.
The estimated generation of electricity in August 2024 has been 155 BU. It has declined by 3 per cent on an annual basis. In addition coal and renewable energy have fallen by 3 and 13 per cent respectively. However, due to good rainfall, a jump of 7.6 percent has been recorded in the hydropower generation. Due to less rainfall, hydropower production had decreased continuously for the first two months.
The report further said, “Slow demand for electricity has been seen across India”. Demand for electricity has decreased by 10 percent and 6 percent respectively on an annual basis in North and West India”. Southwest monsoon reached all parts of the country in August. This caused the water level in 31 dams to rise. Due to this, hydropower production has increased by one percent.
The report further noted that electricity demand is projected to grow by 6.5 to 7.5 per cent in FY25. This is due to changes in the weather, including the first quarter heatwave and less rainfall in North India in July.
