Gujarat power demand reached an all-time high of 29,822MW on October 16, putting pressure on the state’s electricity infrastructure as heat, industrial activity and farm irrigation pushed consumption sharply higher. Officials said supply would remain adequate while asking consumers to reduce discretionary electricity use during the evening peak period.
The record demand was 36% higher than the 21,822MW recorded during the same period last year. Daily electricity consumption also rose to 574 million units on October 16, compared with 457 million units a year earlier.
The increase was reviewed at a meeting chaired by Gujarat energy minister Rushikesh Patel and minister of state Kaushik Vekariya. Officials from the energy and petrochemicals department, the State Load Dispatch Centre and state power utilities attended the meeting.
A senior official dismissed concerns about a power shortage and said consumers did not need to worry about supply disruptions. However, the official advised citizens to shift discretionary electricity use to daytime hours and conserve power between 5pm and 11pm until temperatures moderate.
Officials attributed the rise in demand to persistent heat linked to El Nino conditions, increased industrial activity ahead of Navratri and Diwali, and higher agricultural irrigation requirements. Irrigation demand alone was close to 12,000MW a day. At the same time, low wind speeds and below-normal rainfall reduced generation from wind and hydropower sources.
Among Gujarat’s distribution companies, Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Ltd accounted for 30% of the power supplied. Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Ltd and Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Ltd each accounted for 22%, while Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Ltd accounted for 10%. Other distribution companies together made up the remaining 16%.
The state has begun securing additional fuel and electricity to manage the demand. The Union Ministry of Coal has assured Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd of 10 to 11 coal rakes a day until November, with allocations expected to increase to 13 to 14 rakes thereafter.
Gujarat has also arranged short-term power procurement of 2,990MW for October, 1,740MW for November and 1,335MW for December. Additional power is expected from NTPC’s Farakka plant, central allocations from Assam and the Centre’s unallocated power pool.
Officials are also expanding battery energy storage systems to address the gap between sunset and the evening demand peak. Gujarat currently has 192MW of operational storage capacity. Contracts have been finalised for 2,742MW with 5,517MWh of storage, while a fresh tender for 1,000MW with 4,000MWh capacity is under way.
The proposed storage system is designed to supply 1,000MW continuously for four hours during the evening peak. The state is also pursuing additional thermal, hydropower and nuclear capacity, including more than 1,300MW of central thermal allocations, over 1,200MW of hydropower allocations, a 4,000MW Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd tender under the SHAKTI scheme, and a proposed 4,200MW nuclear project through an MoU with NPCIL.
An 800MW thermal unit at Ukai is scheduled for commissioning in 2029, according to the measures outlined by officials.
