Power consumption grows 12.6% in 1st week of June

New Delhi Power consumption in the country grew at 12.6 per cent in the first week of June to 25.36 billion units (BU), indicating a slow recovery in commercial and industrial electricity demand, as per the government data.

Power consumption was recorded at 22.53 BU in the first week of June last year, the power ministry data showed. According to experts, the recovery in power consumption and demand was slow in the first week of June due to the low base of last year. In the entire June last year, power consumption slumped by nearly 11 per cent to 105.08 BU from 117.98 BU in the same month in 2019, mainly due to fewer economic activities amid lockdown restrictions.

In the first week of May this year, the power consumption was 26.24 BU despite lockdown restrictions imposed by many States amid the second wave of Covid-19. Thus the month-on-month comparison indicates that power consumption has dipped by 3.35 per cent in the first week of June compared to the same period in May 2021. Peak power demand met or the highest supply in a day witnessed a growth of over 15 per cent in the first week of June at 168.72 GW (recorded on June 7), compared to 146.53 GW on June 6 last year.

Peak power demand met in the first week of June 2019 was 181.52 (recorded on June 4). The peak demand in the entire June (2020) slumped to 164.98 GW from 182.45 GW in the same month last year. Therefore, the recovery in industrial power consumption and demand is slow in the first week of June despite recording double-digit growth on the back of a low base a year ago. The experts hope that the commercial and industrial power consumption as well as demand would rise again from June onwards as many States are easing local restrictions imposed to curb the second wave of coronavirus, as the number of daily new positive cases of Covid-19 is in decline.