India's peak demand hits 235 GW, power generation up 10% in April

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NEW DELHI:India's power generation increased 9.69% to 153.77 billion units (BU) in April but fell short of target as temperatures soared to their highest in more than a century.Although the generation was higher on year, it fell short of the target of 161.71 million units, showed the CEA data, showed a monthly report by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). A likely reason could be that thermal capacity addition failed to reach a targeted 800MW.Thermal power generation rose 10.87% on-year to 123.50 billion units as peak demand hit 235 GW on Wednesday, the highest so far this year.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), temperatures in April were the highest over eastern and northeastern India and the second highest over south India since 1901.Also Read: India is leading the way for sustainable power in the worldPower consumption last month was at 144.25 billion units, 10.49% higher than 130.55 billion units in the same period of FY23.Apart from thermal power, which constituted about 80% of the overall generation in the country, nuclear and renewable power s witnessed a rise in April.

Renewable power generation rose 8.93% to 17.99 billion units and generation from nuclear power plants was at 4.21 billion units, higher by 21.09% on a year-on-year basis.A decline in hydro power generation (from large hydro projects) continued in April 2024 with only 7.99 billion units generated which was 7.71% lower from April last year. Low rains and fall in reservoir levels are key factors behind the fall in generation from these large hydro projects.Also Read: Power prices on exchanges rise as soaring temperatures lift demandPeak demand is likely to keep surging: In its daily bulletin on Thursday, IMD said: "Heat wave