Power demand soars as temperature rises

Consumption to hit 90 MU in single day by month end

April, it appears, is the new May for GHMC when it comes to power consumption in Hyderabad, and its surrounding areas that fall in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Limits.

On Wednesday, the jurisdiction saw a peak demand of 3,297 Mega Watts (MW) and TSSPDCL officials expect the day’s consumption to reach around 85 million units (MU) of electricity.

The power utility calculates a day’s consumption as the power used between 12 am of the previous day till 12 am of the next day.

The soaring temperatures this summer are the primary reason for the increase in demand for power with more and more households using air coolers and air conditioners, a TSSPDCL official said.

The high demand of electricity in the GHMC limits on Wednesday outstripped the record set on May 19, 2023 that saw a peak demand of 3,756 MW with a consumption of 79.33 MU of power.

Authorities at the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited expect consumption to hit a new record of 90 million units (MU) in a single day by the end of this month.

Incidentally, on April 2 itself, GHMC had broken all previous records consuming 83.84 MU of power, and as per TSSPDCL officials, Wednesday’s consumption is set to be more than that figure.

The demand for power this year has been such that in March, and so far in April, the average consumption in the GHMC area – Hyderabad, and parts of Ranga Reddy, Sangareddy, and Medchalmalkajgiri districts – has already surpassed that of last year.

In March 2023, the average daily power consumption within GHMC limits was 57.84 MU, while it was 72.02 MU this March. Similarly, the April 2023 average daily consumption, which was 67.17 MU, has already touched 78.06 MU, till this April 15.