India’s Shift To Induction Cooking May Add Up To 27 GW Power Demand Amid Rising Grid Challenges

India is seeing a major change in the way households consume energy, as more people shift from gas-based cooking to electric cooking using induction cooktops. This transition is expected to significantly increase the country’s electricity demand. According to officials, the large-scale adoption of induction stoves could add up to 27 gigawatts (GW) of additional load on the national power grid in the coming years.

Krushna Chandra Panigrahy, Director-General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), shared that nearly one crore induction cooktops have already been sold across the country. He explained that the real pressure on the grid will begin when sales reach three to four crore units. At that stage, the additional electricity demand is expected to range between 13 GW and 27 GW. This increase is especially important because it will occur during peak hours in the morning and evening, when households are most active and power demand is already high.

This growing demand comes at a time when India is preparing for a record peak electricity requirement of 271 GW during the summer season. To handle this situation, the Ministry of Power is taking several precautionary steps. One of the key decisions is to delay the maintenance of thermal power plants. By postponing these scheduled shutdowns to July, the government plans to keep around 10 GW of extra power capacity available during the high-demand summer months.

The situation has become more complex due to global developments. Conflicts in West Asia have led to a shortage of natural gas, which has affected India’s gas-based power generation. Around 8 GW of gas-based capacity is currently not operational due to the lack of fuel. These plants usually play an important role in meeting peak electricity demand, especially during summer. In their absence, the government is relying more on coal-based power plants to ensure stable supply.

As a result, imported coal-based plants have been directed to operate at full capacity. At the same time, only about half of the planned maintenance work for thermal plants will be carried out as originally scheduled. These measures are aimed at avoiding any power shortages during critical periods.

Despite these challenges, the government remains confident in its ability to manage the rising demand. Between April and June, India plans to add around 22 GW of new power capacity to the grid. This includes about 3,500 MW of thermal power and a large share of 10,000 MW from solar energy. Additional capacity will also come from wind, hydro, and battery energy storage systems.

At present, India’s total installed power capacity has crossed 531 GW, with more than half coming from non-fossil fuel sources. While the rapid adoption of induction cooking is creating new challenges for grid management, the combined approach of increasing thermal output and expanding renewable energy is expected to help maintain a reliable power supply across the country.