India has successfully recorded and met its highest-ever peak electricity demand of 256.1 GW on April 25, 2026, at 3:38 PM, marking a major milestone for the country’s power sector as rising summer temperatures continue to drive energy consumption across regions. The achievement was made without any supply shortfall, while the country also continued electricity exports to neighbouring nations, according to the Ministry of Power.
The latest peak surpasses the previous all-time high of 250 GW, registered on May 30, 2024, and exceeds the 245.4 GW peak recorded on January 9, 2026, reflecting India’s rapidly growing electricity demand amid expanding industrial and residential consumption.
The surge in demand has been largely attributed to intensifying summer conditions, with electricity consumption during April 1–27, 2026, registering an 8.9% year-on-year increase compared to the same period last year. Officials said the rising cooling load across households, commercial establishments, and industries has significantly contributed to the jump in demand.
The Ministry of Power highlighted that the successful handling of the record demand was backed by a significant capacity addition of nearly 65 GW during FY 2025–26, strengthening the country’s generation portfolio and improving system readiness for peak demand periods. With this expanded capacity base, India is preparing to meet an anticipated peak demand of nearly 270 GW later this year.
Officials stated that the demand was managed through advance resource adequacy planning, optimized generation scheduling, and real-time operational coordination between the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC), Regional Load Dispatch Centres (RLDCs), State Load Dispatch Centres (SLDCs), and power generation stations.
At the time of the peak, thermal power remained the dominant contributor, accounting for 174,565 MW (66.9%) of total generation. Solar emerged as the second-largest source with 56,204 MW (21.5%), underlining the growing role of renewable energy in India’s power mix. Hydro contributed 11,422 MW (4.4%), followed by nuclear at 6,293 MW (2.4%), gas at 5,205 MW (2.0%), and wind at 4,897 MW (1.9%). Storage systems, including pumped storage and battery energy storage systems, contributed 201 MW.
Grid frequency remained stable at 50.00 Hz, reflecting robust grid stability and operational efficiency during the record-breaking demand period, the ministry said.
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