Peak power demand this winter has exceeded last summer’s record high on at least two occasions, as unusually cold conditions swept across large parts of the country. Data from GRID India show that the country’s maximum power demand met during the day rose to 245 GW on January 9 and 243 GW on January 13, surpassing the peak of 242 GW recorded on June 12 last year (see chart).
Traditionally, electricity demand peaks during the summer months of June-July or in early autumn (September-October), driven by widespread air-conditioner use across households and commercial establishments. This time, however, intermittent rainfall and relatively mild temperatures kept cooling demand subdued, leaving the summer peak well below the projected 277 GW. Analysts attribute the unusual winter peak to a combination of a muted summer and a harsher-than-normal winter.
The last instance of winter demand exceeding summer levels was in 2020-21, when pandemic-related disruptions distorted consumption patterns. Peak demand figures, whether daily or monthly, are largely statistical reference points, as they reflect the highest load recorded at any moment during a given period on a particular day, often for a brief duration.
In January 2021, in the immediate aftermath of Covid, India’s peak power demand rose to 190 GW, surpassing the summer peak of 177 GW recorded earlier in September. Barring that exceptional period, winter demand has generally remained below summer levels in recent years.
This pattern shifted again in December 2025, when peak demand climbed to 241 GW, nearing the summer high and marking a year-on-year increase of over 7 per cent, according to data from GRID India and the Central Electricity Authority. In the first half of January, demand peaked at 245 GW on January 9, up more than 3 per cent from a year earlier. It also crossed the 240 GW mark on January 12 and 13, at 240 GW and 243 GW, respectively.
Story continues below this ad By contrast, between April and December, daily peak demand exceeded 240 GW on only seven occasions — six in June and once on December 31. According to analysts, the winter spike in peak demand appears to be driven more by weather conditions than by a broad-based pick-up in industrial activity. Sabyasachi Majumdar, senior director at CareEdge Ratings, attributed the rise largely to unusually cold conditions across large parts of the country.
“Winters have been harsher this year — not just in northern India, but even in southern regions that typically do not experience such cold,” Majumdar told The Indian Express, adding this has pushed up domestic heating loads. Cautioning against reading too much into the surge, he said industrial and commercial demand tends to follow relatively stable patterns. “Domestic demand, on the other hand, can vary significantly depending on the monsoon, summer heat and winter temperatures.
” Gautam Shahi, Director at Crisil Ratings, said the aberration is largely due to an early monsoon and relatively cooler summer conditions, which resulted in weaker power demand during the summer months. Story continues below this ad “Unusual instances like that seen in the current fiscal may pressure utilities to maintain reliable supply all year round, as climate continues to be volatile, hindering the ability to assess future consumption,” Shahi told The Indian Express. “As a result, it is imperative to scale up storage solutions so that excess energy stored during non-peak hours can be discharged to meet demand during peak hours.
It is also important to increase capacities in nuclear and thermal energy, which can ensure round-the-clock power availability,” he said. Former Power Secretary Anil Razdan said that apart from extreme cold conditions, rising penetration of electric vehicles — particularly in the two-wheeler segment — may also be contributing to higher electricity demand.
“The two-wheeler EV segment has expanded rapidly across towns and cities, driven in part by the gig economy, and this is adding to electricity use, whether through domestic or market-linked charging,” he said. “…Climate conditioning requirements, particularly in multi-storeyed glass glazing commercial and residential building blocks, would also be adding to electricity loads,” Razdan said, adding that climate conditioning is set to play an increasingly important role in shaping India’s electricity demand going forward.
Ankit Jain, Vice President and Co Group Head (Corporate Ratings) at ICRA Ltd, told The Indian Express that while electricity demand typically sees a seasonal recovery during the winter after muted growth in the preceding months, full-year growth is still expected to remain modest at 2 per cent.