India: Peak power deficit rises to 4.2 per cent in December

India's peak power shortage increased to 4.2 per cent, or 5,547 MW, in December from a month earlier due to lower hydroelectric and wind power production, according to official data. Electricity demand in the country last month was 1,32,786 MW, of which 1,27,239 MW was met, data with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) showed.

The peak power deficit, or shortfall in electricity supply when demand is at the maximum level, was 3.7 per cent, or 4,803 MW, in November, according to the CEA."The prime reasons for increased power shortage is decrease in hydel and wind generation and increase in load, mainly in north India, due to winters," a CEA official told PTI.

The northern states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were the worst affected with a deficit of 7.1 per cent, or 2,912 MW. Electricity demand in the region was 40,812 MW and supply was 37,900 MW. The northeastern region of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram recorded a deficit of 5.9 per cent. The demand for power was 2,009 MW and supply 1,890 MW.

The eastern states were the least affected with a 1.5 per cent peak power shortage. The electricity requirement of states including West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand in December was 13,814 MW and supply was 13,604 MW. The western region, which includes Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa, reported a power shortage of 1,031 MW, or 2.5 per cent, on demand of 41,335 MW.The peak power deficit in the south -- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry -- was 3.7 per cent, or 1,275 MW, with demand at 34,816 MW.

Source Economic Times