Warmer September pushes Telangana’s power demand up

The intense heat has driven electricity demand up to levels comparable with peak summer months.

Hyderabad: The State is witnessing a sharp rise in the power demand over the last few days due to unusually high temperatures prevailing in the State this September. The intense heat has driven electricity demand up to levels comparable with peak summer months.

On September 1, the State’s electricity demand was 7401 MW, with a consumption of 158.276 million units (MU). However, by mid-September, this surged to 15,570 MW, with consumption touching 299.448 MU. The State’s record power demand of 15,623 MW was recorded on March 8, during the peak summer months and power demand touching 15,000 MW during September is very unusual.

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Last year the power demand during September was below 10,000 MW, but this year it is hovering between 12,000 to 13,000 MW. The Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited(TGSPDCL) witnessed an all-time High Power Demand of 9,910 MW on September 21. Last year’s peak demand was recorded at 9,862 MW on September 20, 2023. This week’s average power demand stood at 9,317 MW, compared to 9,138 MW last year. The average consumption increased to 190.29 million units from 182.11 million units this September compared to last year during the same period in the SPDCL jurisdiction.

Officials attribute it to extensive usage of agriculture pump sets during the ongoing cultivation in the State and the increased air conditioner usage in households to beat the heat, which led to the overall spike in power consumption. The power consumption grew in August, September and October, mainly due to humid weather conditions, agriculture activities and also a pick-up in industrial activities ahead of the festive season, officials said.

Over four lakh new borewell connections were added in the last 10 months, which too added to the surge in power demand, officials informed. Currently, there are about 29 lakh borewell connections in the State.

Why was September warmer

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted warmer than normal maximum and minimum temperatures across most of the regions of the country, stating that September would be hot and humid with continuing extreme rainfall events.

Experts noted that this was most likely related to the record heat of 2023-24 and the widespread extreme weather patterns across the planet. In addition to the increased rainfall, September 2024 also brought warmer-than-average temperatures to most parts of India. Maximum temperatures were above normal across much of the country.

Power demand in SPDCL limits to cross 10,000 MW during Kharif 

The power demand under the Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited(TGSPDCL) is likely to cross over 10,000 megawatt during the ongoing kharif season.

SPDCL Chairman and Managing Director Musharraf Ali Faruqui, who held a review meeting with the Superintending Engineers and Chief Engineers on Monday, said the maximum demand in Kharif season last year was 9862 MW in the SPDCL jurisdiction and this time it had reached 9910 MW and that there was a need to ensure quality supply to agriculture sector. By the end of this season, the maximum demand was likely to be over 10,000 MW and the consumption was also likely to exceed 200 million units, he said.

The highest demand in the State during the Kharif season last year was 15,370 MW, whereas it was 15,570 MW on September 20 this year, he said, adding that in view of the possibility of a significant increase in demand by the end of the kharif season, there was need to check the loads without any overload problems on the feeders and power transformers and ensure that there were no supply problems to the farmers.