Power Grid Trips in Northern Region After Record-Breaking Demand Peak
As peak demand peaked at an unprecedented 89.4GW in India's northern region on Monday, multiple power system failures caused electricity supply to drop by 16.5GW according to officials. The record-breaking demand was driven by ongoing heatwave conditions across northern states.
The Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) reported that numerous grid components unexpectedly tripped shortly after demand hit the new high at 1:53pm, resulting in heavy load loss. Haryana saw the largest drop of 4.1GW followed by 3.8GW in Punjab while Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan each lost around 2.8GW of supply. Delhi also experienced a 2.2GW reduction.
All affected transmission lines were restored by 4pm. Generation outages added to the crisis, with 1.2GW losses seen in both hydro and thermal plants. Solar production in Rajasthan fell 2.8GW as well.
As temperatures continue rising, an agricultural load surge is also predicted for Punjab later this month – adding further strain. Key engineers have warned that unmanageable power shortages could result without controlling escalating demand.
To bridge the existing supply-demand gap in the northern grid, 25-30% of requirement is currently being met through imports from neighbouring regions. Authorities have placed utilities on high alert to minimize unplanned downtime and meet the unprecedented peak amid intensifying heat.
