India recorded its highest-ever peak power demand of 256.11 GW on Saturday, driven by soaring temperatures and increased use of cooling appliances like air conditioners and desert coolers.
This new milestone surpassed the previous day’s peak of 252.07 GW, which was logged on Friday at 15:48 hrs. The latest peak of 256.11 GW was recorded at 15:38 hrs on Saturday and was successfully met in full.
The sharp rise in electricity demand suggests that consumption is steadily approaching the government’s projected peak of 270 GW for the summer season. With temperatures continuing to rise across the country, experts expect this demand to climb even further.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), several regions are experiencing temperatures significantly above normal by 5 degrees Celsius or more indicating growing heat stress conditions nationwide.
In Delhi, the maximum temperature reached 42.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday, marking the highest level so far this year and the highest since 2022, when it touched 43.5 degrees Celsius on April 28.
The IMD also noted that this was the third consecutive day of heatwave conditions in the capital.
Electricity demand has shown a steady upward trend throughout April.
Peak supply rose from 239.70 GW on April 22 to 240.12 GW on April 23, 2026. During the first half of April, peak demand remained below 235.32 GW, which had been recorded in April 2025.
With heatwave conditions expected to intensify, electricity consumption is likely to increase further, fueled by higher usage of cooling systems in both residential and commercial sectors.
The IMD has already indicated that the country may experience a particularly harsh summer this year.
For context, the highest peak power demand last year reached 242.77 GW in June 2025, which was below the government’s estimate of 277 GW.
Earlier, in May 2024, demand had touched 250 GW, a record at the time surpassing the previous peak of 243.27 GW recorded in September 2023.
