U.P. power demand soars beyond projection amid sizzling May heat
On Tuesday, the power demand reached 29,261 MW, surpassing the previous record of 29,147 MW set on May 24.
With sizzling temperatures prevailing across several states, the demand for electricity is setting new records in Uttar Pradesh in May, even as the maximum peak demand is expected in August-September.

On Tuesday, the power demand reached 29,261 MW, surpassing the previous record of 29,147 MW set on May 24. Last year’s power demand record was 28,284 MW on July 24, 2023, which was broken on May 22 this year when the demand reached 28,336 MW.
Despite UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) claiming to fulfil the entire demand, complaints of emergency load shedding and outages persist due 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 the state, but on the ground, the situation is different as power outages are reported from different places every day,” said Avdhesh Kumar Verma, chairman of UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad. “The power disruptions are largely due to poor quality aerial bunch conductors that cannot resist the heat,” he claimed.
Significantly, the power demand in May is already much greater than what the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) projected for UP. The CEA projected the demand to be 28,291 MW in May. But the actual demand exceeded the forecast on Tuesday by 970 MW and is only 592 MW less than the demand predicted for June.
The maximum demand in May last year was 25,600 MW against 29,261 MW so far this year.
“Compared to last year, there is a significant increase in demand and consumption due to unprecedented heat,” UPPCL chairman Ashish Kumar Goel said.
“We have directed all directors and chief engineers to ensure continuous electricity supply amidst rising temperatures, emphasizing its critical importance during this difficult time for the public,” he added.
He claimed that the corporation was supplying electricity to consumers according to demand without system issues, resolving local faults to maintain supply.
In a review meeting on Wednesday, Goel obtained detailed information on overloaded and damaged transformers and the status of electricity supply from all directors and chief engineers. He also directed them to investigate causes and take necessary actions at transformer failure sites. He stressed that the next 3-4 months pose a challenge for electricity supply and urged everyone to do better.
The CEA has anticipated the peak demand to be 31,917 MW in August-September in UP, and given the current trend, the actual maximum peak demand may exceed the anticipated one.
“The peak demand in UP has increased by around 90% since 2015-16, and the planned capacity of transmission and distribution networks needs to be increased even more,” said another UPPCL official.
