Rising heat drives March power demand up 7%

POWER DEMAND IN the country surged 6.9% on-year in March, around 50% higher than the full-year average of 4.3%, as the temperature rose and demand from industrial and commercial consumers soared, as per report by Crisil Intelligence.

- Arunima Bharadwaj

The mean monthly temperature during the month was 25.5°C, above the 30-year (1991-2020) normal of 24.71°C. The average high temperature was 32.7°C and the average low temperature 18.3°C, higher than the 30-year normal of 31.70°C and 17.71°C, respectively. Western and east central India also witnessed 1-5 days of heatwave during the month. In the western region, power demand grew by around 10% on year as several regions in