India’s electricity system faced a sharp rise in peak demand during the April-June period, with demand increasing around 12% from the same period last year and reaching a record 270.8 GW in May, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.The pressure was particularly visible during non-solar hours in June, when peak electricity demand stood at 255,172 MW, while the supply was 252,127 MW. This resulted in a shortfall of 3,045 MW, significantly higher than the gaps recorded in the preceding two months.The gap stood at 1,225 MW in April and widened to 1,326 MW in May before reaching 3,045 MW in June.The northern region accounted for the largest share of the June shortfall. Its evening peak demand was 95,919 MW, while only 93,269 MW was met, leaving a gap of 2,650 MW.In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for power Shripad Naik said the development of El Nino conditions had led to a significant increase in electricity requirements.“During April to June 2026, overall rise in electricity peak demand was around 12% as compared to corresponding period last year,” the minister said.Despite the supply gaps, the government said the country had adequate power availability. India’s installed generation capacity had reached 548.86 GW as of June 2026, with 324.7 GW of capacity added since April 2014.The gap between electricity requirement and supply was mainly attributed to constraints in state transmission and distribution networks, according to the government.State-level figures for May showed that Bihar’s evening peak demand reached 8,702 MW, while supply met stood at 7,784 MW. In Maharashtra, demand of 32,193 MW was against supply of 31,338 MW. Punjab recorded an evening peak demand of 12,812 MW, against 12,352 MW met.Thermal power continued to account for the bulk of electricity generation during the three summer months, although its share declined through the period. It accounted for 72.71% of total generation in April, 69.90% in May and 68.39% in June.The share of renewable energy, including large hydro, moved in the opposite direction, rising from 24.13% in April to 28.11% in June.“At present, there is no particular challenge in managing peak demand with fossil fuel resources supplemented by renewable resources,” the government said.However, it added that renewable energy would have to be backed by storage systems at an “exponential rate” over the medium to long term.The government’s projections envisage the addition of about 39.88 GW of battery energy storage capacity and 10.95 GW of pumped-storage capacity between FY2027-28 and FY2029-30.
