Hyderabad: Telangana recorded the highest-ever peak power demand of 15,752 megawatt (MW) on Thursday, February 6. This surpasses the previous record of 15,623 MW set in March 2024.
The state’s power utilities have implemented robust measures over the past fourteen months to ensure a continuous power supply to various sectors including agriculture, industry, and domestic consumers. This approach has been instrumental in managing the substantial increase in power demand, which has grown by 13.49 percent in December 2024 and 10.10 percent in January 2025 compared to the same months last year.
The demand in Southern Discom’s jurisdiction has risen from 8,679 MW last year to 9,589 MW this year. Similarly, in Hyderabad, the demand increased from 3,018 MW to 3,334 MW.
To manage the increasing power demand, Telangana’s distribution companies including Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana (SPDCL) and North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL) have taken steps to secure an additional 17,000 MW during the upcoming summer peak.
The base availability of power in the state stands at 9,134 MW through long-term contracts, necessitating additional market purchases during non-solar hours. To address this, distribution companies have been using power exchanges to meet short-term deficits especially when market rates are lower than the variable costs of thermal power plants.
For instance, in December and January, the distribution companies bought power from exchanges at an average rate of Rs. 2.69 and Rs. 2.82 per unit, respectively compared to Rs. 3.97 and Rs. 4.18 per unit for thermal power.
This strategy resulted in substantial savings, with Telangana saving Rs. 982.66 crores in total from December 2023 to January 2025 through optimized power purchases.
