UP gears up as summer power demand set to cross 33,000 MW | cliQ Latest

With soaring temperatures gripping Uttar Pradesh, the state is preparing for an unprecedented surge in electricity demand, expected to exceed 33,000 megawatts this summer. The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) is bracing for a tough season, drawing lessons from last year’s record-breaking demand while racing to address persistent distribution challenges and avert widespread outages.

In June 2024, the state hit an all-time high of 30,618 MW in power demand. This year, officials estimate an increase of up to 3,000 MW, making 2025 potentially the most challenging summer yet for the power grid. UPPCL Chairman Ashish Kumar Goel acknowledged the stress on the system but expressed confidence in the preparations underway.

To tackle the projected shortfall, the UPPCL has secured around 3,000 MW through power banking agreements with other states, including Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. These states will supply electricity to UP during the summer, with the arrangement to be reversed when their power demand rises.

Additional sources to support rising load
Another 3,000 MW is expected to come from newly commissioned power plants, including units at Jawaharpur, Khurja, Panki, Obra, and Ghatampur. In addition, UPPCL plans to purchase electricity from the open market through energy exchanges whenever needed.

Officials say they are also banking on the nearly 80% completion of agricultural feeder segregation. This is expected to ease supply pressure during peak hours and ensure that farmers receive daytime power for irrigation.

Infrastructure upgrades and monitoring in place
Beyond securing supply, attention is also being paid to infrastructure. Ashish Kumar Goel noted that steps have been taken to minimize outages caused by local faults. These include replacing overhead cables, inspecting transformers, installing smart meters at distribution points, and activating control rooms for real-time monitoring.

Despite these measures, experts warn that many disruptions stem not from power shortages, but from weaknesses in transmission and distribution systems. Outages, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, are often linked to delayed repairs and overloaded transformers.

Rupesh Kumar, managing director of UP Power Transmission Corporation Ltd, said the transmission network is now capable of handling loads up to 75,000 MW. He projected the peak demand in June to reach around 32,500 MW but emphasized that infrastructure improvements had been made to handle the stress without major failures.

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