AHMEDABAD: The warmer Feb this year has led to a spike in electricity demand in the state. The state’s average electricity demand in Feb this year was 16,928MW, up from 16,300MW in Feb last year, according to data from the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC). Experts said high temperatures and increased industrial activity are behind the increase in demand.Renewable energy generation has also increased significantly in the last couple of years.
A power sector expert said, “The growth in electricity demand suggests the economy is doing well and a 10% growth rate in electricity demand is an indicator of a good performance in the economy. In Jan, average demand was 16,548MW which increased to 16,928MW in Feb and the last two days have seen demand go higher than 17,000MW. This year, Feb has been warmer than usual and there are signs of summer temperatures coming early.”
Daily power demand has crossed 400 million units in Feb. The industrial segment has the highest share in power demand with about 50% while agriculture is the second with about 25%.
GUVNL is buying cheap power from the India Energy Exchange (IEX) as well. On Feb 22, it bought 1,525MW from IEX at an average rate of Rs 4.12/kWh. “The govt has continued Section 11 of the Electricity Act providing actual pass-through of imported coal prices and thermal power plants in the state are thus running at high-capacity utilization levels. On the other hand, there has been aggressive installation of wind, solar and hybrid power generation capacity. Gujarat is witnessing average generation of 2,000MW of wind power and 1,300MW of solar power,” a source said.
A power sector expert said, “The growth in electricity demand suggests the economy is doing well and a 10% growth rate in electricity demand is an indicator of a good performance in the economy. In Jan, average demand was 16,548MW which increased to 16,928MW in Feb and the last two days have seen demand go higher than 17,000MW. This year, Feb has been warmer than usual and there are signs of summer temperatures coming early.”
Daily power demand has crossed 400 million units in Feb. The industrial segment has the highest share in power demand with about 50% while agriculture is the second with about 25%.
GUVNL is buying cheap power from the India Energy Exchange (IEX) as well. On Feb 22, it bought 1,525MW from IEX at an average rate of Rs 4.12/kWh. “The govt has continued Section 11 of the Electricity Act providing actual pass-through of imported coal prices and thermal power plants in the state are thus running at high-capacity utilization levels. On the other hand, there has been aggressive installation of wind, solar and hybrid power generation capacity. Gujarat is witnessing average generation of 2,000MW of wind power and 1,300MW of solar power,” a source said.
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