Power Shortages Re-Emerge in North India as Summer Demand Begins to Climb

Power Shortages Resurface in Northern India Amid Summer Demand

Parts of northern India are experiencing power shortages just as summer demand starts rising, with states such as Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand already witnessing outages and consumer complaints even before peak summer demand fully sets in. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to ensure uninterrupted 24x7 electricity supply amid protests over power cuts, while Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami intervened directly in consumer complaints related to outages.

Gurugram in Haryana also witnessed metro disruptions linked to electricity supply issues. The stress is emerging even as India's peak power demand touched a record 290 GW this season.

According to Moneycontrol analysis, Uttar Pradesh reported unmet peak demand equivalent to 1.5 percent of total demand in April 2026, marking the first such shortfall since 2018. In contrast, Uttarakhand reported a much sharper deficit of 5.8 percent, although this was marginally better than the 6.3 percent shortage recorded last year.

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The broader northern region reported unmet demand of 0.3 percent in April, compared with virtually no shortages over the previous two years. The warning signs come alongside a sharp structural increase in electricity consumption over the past eight years.

Uttar Pradesh's peak power demand has surged 76.6 percent between April 2018 and April 2026, among the fastest increases in the country. Haryana recorded a 43 percent rise during the same period, Rajasthan 47.5 percent, and Punjab 67.5 percent. Across India, peak power demand has increased nearly 58 percent since 2018.

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Uttar Pradesh alone recorded peak demand of nearly 29,932 MW in April 2026, up from 16,945 MW in April 2018. Haryana's demand crossed 11,000 MW, while Punjab touched nearly 11,863 MW. The stress is no longer confined to northern India.

Kerala reported unmet demand of 4.7 percent in April despite relatively lower industrial consumption compared with larger manufacturing states. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported shortages of 5.7 percent. Even so, the current situation remains far more manageable than the severe shortages witnessed during the 2022 coal crisis.

India's overall unmet peak demand stood at just 0.1 percent in April 2026, compared with 4 percent in April 2022. The larger concern for state governments is that this year's stress has emerged unusually early. Power demand typically rises much more sharply in May and June as temperatures peak across northern and western India.

States witnessing rapid urbanisation and rising air-conditioner penetration are seeing the steepest increases in electricity consumption. Telangana's peak demand has risen 86.3 percent since 2018, while Bihar recorded a 78.3 percent increase, Gujarat 71.7 percent, and Karnataka 72.9 percent.