Energy

India’s Power Demand Hits Record as Heat Wave Batters Nation

Pedestrians use a water mist sprayer along a street in Varanasi, India, on April 24.
Photographer: Niharika Kulkarni/AFP/Getty Images

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By Rajesh Kumar Singh

April 27, 2026 at 6:11 AM UTC

India’s electricity demand climbed to a record on Saturday, after blistering heat waves pushed power usage from cooling appliances, compounding the nation’s energy challenges brought by the Middle East war.

Peak consumption reached 256 gigawatts, beating the previous high of 252 gigawatts on Friday, according to data from Grid Controller of India. Both days had overshot an earlier record in 2024.