India battles power cuts as heatwave boosts electricity demand to record

Some parts of India are grappling with power cuts as record-breaking heat has pushed electricity demand to an all-time high in excess of 270 gigawatts, spurring a government call for consumers to limit use.

An El Nino weather pattern is bringing above-average summer temperatures across the subcontinent in May, with nighttime outages running from 40 minutes to an hour in the manufacturing and infotech hub of Chennai, residents said.

"South Chennai has seen frequent power cuts over the past two days, with outages at short intervals," said R. Hari, a resident of the southern city, who complained that they made it difficult to work from home.

India's peak power deficit late on Thursday evening was about 2.57 gigawatts, said national regulator Grid-India.

"Although we are prepared to supply electricity as required, due to the intense summer, let us all try to use electricity wisely and judiciously," the power ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Shortages are chronic during the evening hours as supply then relies heavily on thermal and hydropower sources, while daytime demand is met partly by solar generation.

The record heat and surging electricity demand are testing India's power system, said Disha Aggarwal, senior programme lead at energy and environment think-tank CEEW, as hotter nights become the norm.

India needs to urgently fast-track commissioning of battery storage to make use of surplus solar energy at night, she added.

From Friday to May 27, weather authorities have forecast "heatwave to severe heatwave conditions" for the capital New Delhi, along with large northern and eastern areas.

Several people in New Delhi and the neighbouring city of Noida took to X to complain of power outages during the night.

In the eastern coastal state of Odisha, some users have protested against longer power cuts in some areas during both day and night, residents and media said.