Power consumption grows 13.38% in October

The power consumption had grown 11.45 per cent to 55.37 BU during October 1 to 15, against 49.67 BU, in the corresponding period a year ago. A double-digit growth in power consumption in October, experts said, gives sufficient indication that commercial and industrial demand has perked up with with easing of lockdown restrictions and will improve further in coming months.

India's power consumption grew 13.38 percent to 110.94 billion units (BU) in October this year, mainly driven by buoyancy in industrial and commercial activities, as per government data. Electricity consumption in the country was recorded at 97.84 BU in October 2019, showed the power ministry data.

Experts earlier last month had exuded confidence that the power consumption would grow by double digits in October based on the extrapolation of half-month data. The power consumption had grown 11.45 percent to 55.37 BU from October 1 to 15, against 49.67 BU, in the corresponding period a year ago.

Double-digit growth in power consumption in October, experts said, gives sufficient indication that commercial and industrial demand has perked up with the easing of lockdown restrictions and will improve further in the coming months. The government had imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25 to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Power consumption started declining from March onwards due to fewer economic activities in the country. The COVID-19 situation affected power consumption for six months in a row from March to August this year.

Power consumption on a year-on-year basis declined 8.7 percent in March, 23.2 percent in April, 14.9 percent in May, 10.9 percent in June, 3.7 percent in July, and 1.7 percent in August. The data showed that electricity consumption had grown by 11.73 percent in February. Power consumption has shown an improvement post lockdown easing for economic activities after April 20.

After a gap of six months, power consumption recorded a growth of 4.6 percent in September this year at 112.43 BU from 107.51 BU in the same month last year. Peak power demand met, the highest supply of power in the country in a day, in October was recorded at 170.04 GW, which is 3.52 percent higher than 164.25 GW in the same month last year.

Peak power demand in September this year recorded a growth of 1.8 percent at 176.56 GW, compared to 173.45 GW a year ago, the data showed. Peak power demand met had recorded negative growth from April to August this year due to the pandemic.

The peak demand met dropped to 24.9 percent in April, 8.9 percent in May, 9.6 percent in June, 2.7 percent in July, and 5.6 percent in August. In March, it was muted at 0.8 percent.