Power demand jumps 69% in Patna amid scorching heat

Patna: Peak power demand in Patna has surged by nearly 69% in just 11 days as intense heat and humidity continue to grip the city, pushing electricity consumption to record levels. The demand crossed 850MW on Thursday afternoon.According to Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (Pesu) data, the city’s peak load stood at 506MW on May 10, recorded at 9pm. It rose sharply to 827MW by midnight on May 20 and climbed further to 857MW at 3pm on Thursday.Officials said the steep rise in consumption was driven largely by soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity. While daytime temperatures hovered close to 40 degrees Celsius, the heat index made conditions feel above 50 degrees Celsius in many areas.The prolonged heatwave has forced residents to depend heavily on air-conditioners, coolers and fans, especially during late evening and night hours, significantly increasing pressure on the city’s power distribution network.The strain is reflected in the sharp rise in complaints received at Pesu’s fuse call centres. Complaints increased from 1,051 on May 14 to 1,447 on May 17 and peaked at 1,451 on May 18. After a brief dip, the number again surged to 1,605 by 5pm on May 20.Officials said the spike in fuse-related complaints indicated transformer overloading, tripping and stress on feeders due to exceptionally high demand.Dilip Kumar Singh, general manager of Pesu, said officials had been deployed on night field duty from 10pm to 1am to manage the load and ensure quick response.“As the summer heat has intensified over the past one week, Pesu officials have been deployed on night field duty from 10pm to 1am. The system load typically peaks between 10pm and midnight and gradually declines after 1am. To ensure complaints are resolved within one hour, officers and field staff are stationed at all substations and fuse call centres during these peak hours. We are currently operating 68 fuse call centres across the city,” Dilip said.He said overloaded transformers were being upgraded immediately and load balancing was being carried out wherever required. Pesu currently has an installed capacity of 2,155MW. Last year, the city’s peak power demand had reached 975MW in June.