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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
Punjab witnesses all-time high power demand of 16,249 MW amid heatwave
Sweltering heat sweeping across Punjab, coupled with the peak paddy transplantation season, has pushed the state's power demand to an all-time high. On Tuesday, Punjab's electricity demand soared to a record-breaking 16,249 megawatts (MW), surpassing last year's peak of 16,089 MW, recorded on June 29, 2024. This demand spike has placed immense pressure on the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). According to the State Load Despatch Centre website of the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL), the load graph currently does not display figures beyond 16,000 MW, and it needs to be updated, said V K Gupta, a retired PSPCL engineer. A senior PSPCL official confirmed that the load had indeed touched 16,249 MW due to the ongoing heatwave and the high irrigation requirements of the paddy sowing season. If the current weather conditions persist, experts warn that Punjab's power demand could exceed 17,000 MW in the coming days. PSPCL has stated it is prepared to take additional steps, including importing power and optimising local generation, to meet the anticipated surge in demand. The drawing limit from the northern grid is 10,400 MW, while the state's maximum power availability is approximately 6,500 MW under ideal conditions. All thermal power units in the state are operational now. In the public sector, the Ropar thermal power plant is generating 680 MW, the Lehra Mohabbat plant 830 MW, and Goindwal 505 MW. In the private sector, the Rajpura thermal power plant is generating 1,325 MW and the Talwandi Sabo plant 1,860 MW. All hydro units, including three units of the Ranjit Sagar dam, are operating in the afternoon. After an unusually cool start to June, with good rainfall last month keeping temperatures in check, the return of summer heat has caused a sharp rise in temperatures. Punjab witnessed an increase of approximately 3,000 MW in power demand on Tuesday compared to Sunday, marking a significant surge. In Punjab, the temperature has touched 46.1 degrees Celsius in Samrala (Ludhiana), and in other parts of the state, it ranged from 40.8 to 44.6 degrees Celsius. This heatwave has led to a steep rise in power demand over the last two days. According to records from PSPCL, the first five days of June saw relatively moderate demand of around 10,500 MW. On Friday, demand rose to just under 12,000 MW; on Saturday and Sunday, it increased to 13,550 MW; and on Monday, it peaked at around 15,600 MW. Paddy transplantation in Punjab began in a staggered manner between June 1 and June 9, in three phases. Paddy cultivation in the state covers over 30 lakh hectares. The water level in the Bhakra dam is at 1,556.75 ft, which is 17 ft lower than last year's level of 1,573.76 ft. In the Ranjit Sagar dam, the water level stands at 507.17 m, compared to 507.90 m on the corresponding day last year.
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Amid rain, hailstorm, huge temperature drop after heat index soars in Delhi
After Delhi recorded the season's highest minimum temperature at 30.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, hailstorms, rain, and thunderstorms brought a huge respite to the city in the evening. However, the Capital experienced strong winds gusting up to nearly 80 kmph, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to sound a red alert. A sharp drop in temperatures was recorded in many parts of the city amid the pre-monsoon showers and storms. Among all the monitoring stations, Palam observatory recorded the maximum drop in temperature at 14 degrees Celsius. Between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm, the weather station saw the temperature drop from 37 degrees to 23 degrees Celsius. Lodhi Road, which was among the places lashed by hailstorms, saw the temperature drop by 10.7 degrees Celsius (see box). The temperature drop ranged between 8 degrees to 14 degrees at the monitoring stations, as per the IMD data. Meanwhile, the Safdarjung observatory, which is representative of the Capital, recorded wind speed at 79 kmph. Moderate rainfall was observed in many areas (see box). Safdarjung logged 12.1 mm of rain as of 8.30 pm. A cyclonic circulation in the neighbouring state of Haryana was cited as the cause of the storm on Wednesday evening. Moisture-carrying winds from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal fed into the system, said the weather office. A cloud mass that moved towards south-southeastwards away from Delhi over Gurgaon, Noida, and Faridabad led to intense thunderstorm activity in the region, as per the IMD officials. The sudden change in weather came after Delhi grappled with intense heat stress this week as 'feel-like' temperatures or heat index values soared, even as no heatwave was declared. The heat index soared to 50.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday afternoon while the actual temperature was recorded at 39.8 degrees Celsius at 2:30 pm. The day's high was registered at 40.7 degrees Celsius. The city's power demand also surged amid the sultry conditions on Wednesday, reaching a peak of 7,748 megawatts (MW), as per data from the State Load Despatch Centre. Unlike previous years, no heatwave days have been registered so far in May. The IMD defines a heatwave when the maximum temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains amid a departure of 4.5 to 6.4 degrees from normal temperature for two days in a row in at least two weather stations. Till Tuesday, the city had received 92.7 mm of rain so far this month against the season's normal of 16.8 mm. The IMD has forecast a partly cloudy sky up to May 27. Light rain has been forecast for Friday and Saturday.
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Delhi feels the heat, real feel temp touches 48.5°C
The Capital clocked a hot and humid day as a combination of clear skies and increased moisture led to uncomfortable weather conditions. Although a maximum temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius (°C) was recorded on the day, which is normal for this time of the year, high relative humidity—ranging from 44% to 74%—gave Delhi a heat index (HI) or 'real feel' temperature of 48.5°C, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The high relative humidity translated into increased power consumption in the city too, with the peak power demand crossing the 7,000MW threshold for the first time this season. Delhi's heat index a day earlier was 43.6°C and this rapid single-day increase led to uncomfortable conditions. HI is a measurement to indicate what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with air temperature. The higher the humidity, the higher the heat index. Delhi's wet bulb temperature, another indicator of thermal discomfort outside, was 28.87°C at the same time. A wet bulb temperature of 32°C or higher makes it difficult for even fit and acclimatised people to work outdoors for long, and at a wet bulb temperature of 35°C—the maximum threshold—humans can no longer regulate body temperatures, leading to heatstroke and potential collapse. Delhi's peak power demand, meanwhile, was recorded at 7,265MW at 3.29pm on Monday, according to data from the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC). This was the highest peak power demand in the May 1-19 period in the past four years, data showed. It was 7,174MW in 2024, 5,953MW in 2023 and 7,070MW in 2022. For reference, last year's peak power demand, which was also the all-time peak demand, was 8,656MW, recorded on June 19. Delhi's power discoms, BSES and Tata Power DDL, both said they were able to meet the increased power demand successfully, without any network constraint or supply disruption. IMD has forecasted Delhi's maximum temperature to dip, but humidity is expected to remain high, which may give rise to possible light rain and thunderstorms until Saturday. Delhi is expected to record a maximum temperature of 38-40°C until then, albeit with dust-raising gusty winds of up to 50 kilometres per hour. 'There are chances of isolated thunderstorm activity and light rain from Tuesday to Saturday. Such spells are likely on account of high temperature and some moisture incursion,' an IMD official said. Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Meteorology, said western disturbances have been recorded in northwest India one after another, which have kept humidity high. 'Western disturbances have existed as a cyclonic circulation and this cyclonic circulation is what is feeding moisture to the region. At the same time, temperature is high and this gives rise to local thunderstorm activity, strong winds and then short but intense spells of rain,' he said. AQI back to 'poor' again Delhi's air quality index (AQI) deteriorated to the 'poor' category on Monday, with ozone emerging as the day's prominent pollutant. The 24-hour average AQI was 201 ('poor') at 4pm on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's daily bulletin. In comparison, the AQI was 179 ('moderate') a day earlier. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR also convened an emergency meeting to discuss whether Stage 1 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) were needed, but decided against it, citing an improvement in AQI later in the day. CAQM said that while the AQI was over 200 at 4pm, it was down to 186 by 7pm. CAQM officials said they will continue to review the situation. Forecasts by the Centre's Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi show AQI is likely to remain 'moderate' till Thursday.
