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Karnataka consumes all-time peak load of electricity in January: Report

It is reportedly said that Karnataka consumed 235 million units on Friday when it surpassed the previous record. "In January 2022, Karnataka was only consuming 190-210 million units daily," an official from the State Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) said.

Karnataka consumes all-time peak load of electricity in January: Report AJR
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First Published Jan 17, 2023, 12:43 PM IST

While leaders from various political parties are promising free electricity in the run-up to the assembly elections, Karnataka on Friday (January 13) broke its all-time peak load record, well ahead of the onset of summer. It is expected to guzzle more energy in the days to come.

In March 2022, the state achieved a record 14,818 Mw peak load and broke its this yer's record in January itself. The demand is expected to touch 15,500 Mw during the ensuing summer. Energy department officials said they are prepared to handle the situation with surplus energy at the state's disposal.

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Speaking to a media organisation, Energy minister V Sunil Kumar said, "In 2022, we achieved this feat in March during the peak summer season. However, in 2023, we already surpassed that record in January itself, let alone the forthcoming summer months. Two days prior to Sankranti festivities, we surged past the previous year's record. As per our calculations for this summer, the peak demand in Karnataka may go up anywhere between 15,300 to 15,500 Mw."

It is reportedly said that Karnataka consumed 235 million units on Friday when it surpassed the previous record. "In January 2022, Karnataka was only consuming 190-210 million units daily," an official from the State Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) said.

Sources in the energy department attributed this to several factors ranging from irrigation pump (IP) sets to companies returning to work from office mode to electric vehicles.

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"The groundwater table across Karnataka has improved considerably prompting agrarian communities to use IP sets in an increased way. Also, several companies have returned to WFO mode besides industries have also resumed normal manufacturing activities. If you compare to the 2022 load, Karnataka has seen an average 10% increase in power consumption," the official said.

"We've been seeing the trend since mid-November. Barring a few days of a slump in consumption in December, the graph has been going up on all the days. We're now chalking out plans to cater to the anticipated demand spike during summer and ensure there are no power cuts," the energy minister pointed out.

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