Peak power deficit for Feb at 3.3%: CEA

Total power demand outpaced the supply by 4,424 MW or 3.3 per cent of the demand, across the country in the month of February.

Total peak power demand last month was 1,32,507 MW, of which 1,28,083 MW was met, leaving a peak power deficit – shortfall in electricity supply when the demand is at the maximum –  at 4,424 MW, the data by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) showed. 

‘Because of economic slowdown demand of electricity is stagnant. As capacity addition in the last couple of years have been robust, we are experiencing the lowest power deficit in last 15 years,’ Deloitte India senior director Debasish Mishra said.

Southern India was the most affected, registering a deficit of 5.2 per cent or 1,883 MW. Total electricity requirement of the region, comprising states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, was 36,427 MW as against a supply of 34,544 MW.

The north-eastern region –Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura and Mizoram – registered a deficit of 96 MW. The power demand was 2,025 MW and supply was 1,929 MW.

The electricity requirement in eastern states, including West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand, was 14,976 MW of which 14,499 MW was met, leaving the region with a shortage of 477 MW or 1.3 per cent.

North Indian states/UTs - Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand reported a peak power shortage of 2.9 per cent.

Total electricity demand in the region last month was 37,895 MW, of which 36,780 MW was met, as per the data.

The western region, which includes Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa, reported a power shortage of 2.1 per cent. The demand was 41,184 MW against a supply of 40,331 MW.