‘​UP met 29k MW peak power demand amid rainfall'

Lucknow: The state has recorded and met a peak demand of 29,475 MW on Apr 28 this year, despite unseasonal rainfall. In 2025, actual peak demand on a day was 31,468 MW, said Arvind Kumar Sharma, the state energy minister on Saturday.Sharma said UP has remained the top state in the country in meeting peak electricity demand over the past four years, reflecting significant improvement in generation capacity, transmission infrastructure and power distribution.The minister said the state’s average peak demand during 2012-17 was around 13,000 MW, while over the last four years it has risen to nearly 30,000 MW. He attributed the increase to rising electricity consumption across residential, agricultural and industrial sectors, along with expanded access to power.According to Sharma, the number of electricity consumers in the state has increased from 1.8 crore in 2017 to about 3.7 crore at present. Nearly 50 lakh new power connections have been released in the past four years, substantially widening the consumer base. He added that electrification has also expanded to remote hamlets, with over 1.75 lakh habitations connected in recent years.On generation capacity, Sharma said UP’s thermal power capacity grew from 5,160 MW in 2017 to 9,120 MW, with additional projects under various stages of development. Total power availability from all sources has reached around 22,000 MW, compared with 11,803 MW in 2017.The minister highlighted improvement in the transmission network, stating that substation capacity has increased significantly and large-scale upgrades were carried out to reduce losses and improve reliability. Distribution infrastructure was been strengthened through replacement of old conductors, poles and transformers.Sharma said electricity supply has stabilised at 18-20 hours in rural areas and 24 hours in urban centres. He added that technology-driven systems have improved billing accuracy and enabled consumers to access digital services for power management.