Power Ministry asks utilities to be on high alert due to rising demand amid heatwave

New Delhi: The Ministry of Power on Tuesday issued a directive to all utilities, urging them "to maintain a high state of alert and minimise forced outages of equipment" as the ongoing heatwave continues to drive up electricity demand, particularly in the northern region where the Monsoon is yet to arrive.

Since May 17, 2024, the northern region has been grappling with high electricity demand due to a prevailing heatwave, the ministry noted in a statement.

Despite these challenging conditions, the ministry reported that the highest ever peak demand of 89 GW in the northern region was successfully met on June 17, 2024. This was achieved by importing 25-30 percent of the region's power requirement from neighboring regions.

"All utilities have been advised to maintain a high state of alert and minimise forced outages of equipment," the statement reiterated.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, heatwave conditions in North-West India are expected to abate from June 20.

In response to the increased electricity demand and to ensure adequate power availability across the country, the Ministry of Power has implemented a series of measures to meet the highest ever peak demand of 250 GW during the ongoing summer season. The ministry anticipates that peak demand could reach up to 260 GW during this period.

These measures include directions issued under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003, mandating imported coal-based (ICB) plants to continue their generation support during this high demand period. Additionally, power generating units have been instructed to minimize planned maintenance during this time.

Efforts are being made to reduce partial and forced outages to maximize generation capacity availability. The ministry has also sensitized plants under long-term outage to revive their units to ensure maximum power generation.

All generating companies (GENCOs) have been advised to maintain their plants in optimal condition to ensure full capacity availability and to support the optimal operation of various generation sources, the statement concluded.