NEW DELHI: In the first half of current fiscal year, from April to September, India’s electricity consumption increased by about 8% to approximately 847 billion units (BU), indicating an uptick in economic activity. According to the official figures, from April to September 2023, electricity consumption increased from 786 BU to around 847 BU. The extensive unseasonal rain in April, May, and June, according to industry analysts, may have had an impact on the nation’s electricity consumption, which may have increased by double digits. They claimed that the exceptionally high humidity levels, which led to an increase in the use of cooling appliances such fans, coolers, and air conditioners, caused a significant rebound in both power demand and consumption starting in August. Additionally, they claimed that the increase in power use in August and September was primarily the result of the humid weather, which also boosted business activity ahead of the holiday season. The data also reveals that during April through September 2023, peak power demand reached a new high of 241 GW, up from 215.88 GW in the first half of fiscal 2022–2023.The country’s electricity demand was predicted by the power ministry to reach 229 GW in the summer. Due to unseasonal rain, the demand did not reach the anticipated level in April–July. However, in June, the peak electricity demand reached a new high of 224.1 GW before falling to 209.03 GW in July. Peak power demand for this year reached a record high of nearly 240 GW in September after touching 238.19 GW in August. The ministry has made numerous precautions to prevent disruptions because it expected a high peak power demand of 229 GW in the nation during the summer of 2023. In order to guarantee a sufficient supply of electricity throughout the nation, the ministry has invoked Section 11 of the Electricity Act 2023 to require all plants using imported coal to operate at full capacity. In addition, the ministry required domestic coal-based power plants to import the coal for blending in order to prevent a dry fuel scarcity. The experts argued that while these actions may have boosted coal imports into the nation, they were nevertheless required to guarantee a continuous supply of electricity. According to the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) most recent report for August 2023, India has a total installed capacity for power generation of 424 GW, including 206 GW of coal-based energy, 47 GW of major hydro, and roughly 132 GW of renewable energy sources (solar, wind energy, etc.)
