India ramped up coal and gas-fired power generation last week as peak demand hit a record 256.1 gigawatts (GW) over the weekend amid a heatwave, official data showed.
India’s peak power demand rose to a record 256.1 GW on April 25, up from the previous day’s record of 252.08 GW, federal grid data showed.
India operated about 9.6 GW of gas-fired capacity and ramped up coal-fired generation to around 187 GW, Grid-India data showed.
NTPC, India’s top thermal power producer, is procuring gas through the Indian Gas Exchange and operating plants as advised by Grid-India, an official said.
Forecasts of the strongest El Nino weather phenomenon in a decade are expected to drive hotter, drier weather across Asia.
India expects peak power demand to reach around 270 GW this year and is confident of meeting it.
India is likely to rely more on coal and has deferred maintenance of nearly 10,000 megawatts of coal-fired capacity to July.
