India's power consumption up 11% to 170.7B units in July
What's the story
India's power consumption witnessed a staggering year-on-year growth of 10.93% in July, official data revealed. The total power consumption for the month stood at 170.70 billion units (BU), up from 153.88 BU in July last year. The spike is mainly attributed to high humidity levels across many regions of the country, which led to an increased use of cooling appliances such as air conditioners.
Demand surge
Peak power demand nears all-time high
Along with the rise in power consumption, peak power demand also witnessed a major jump. It increased to 270.20 GW last month from 220.74 GW in July last year.
This figure was just shy of the all-time high of 270.82 GW recorded in May this year.
The spike in both consumption and demand is largely due to the higher-than-actual feel-like temperatures caused by humid conditions across India.
Future forecast
Experts expect steady demand in August
Looking ahead, experts expect power demand to remain steady in August due to the continuing humid conditions during the ongoing monsoon season. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted deficient rainfall for this year's monsoon.