Rising summer temperatures fuelled 41% surge in peak power demand across India in 2023

Mumbai: A major share of increase in electricity demand in 2023 came from a power demand surge during summer months, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by Climate Trends.

The study highlights how increasing temperatures put pressure on power grids, resulting in increased dependence on fossil fuels.

There is already a surge in energy consumption in the month of February, with increased peak power demand reaching 238 GW and expected to grow further in March and April 2025.

The report finds that in 2023, higher temperatures drove up India’s requirement for fossil fuel consumption by 3 per cent. About 2853 million units of electricity was generated using fossil fuels to meet the rising power demand amid acute summer months, resulting in additional carbon emissions of over 2 million tons.

“We’ve been misunderstanding the sudden increase in power demand as a sign of only economic development. While there has been development across the country that has resulted in a surge in power demand over the years, our analysis shows that rising temperatures are causing an additional surge in peak power demand”, said Dr Manish Ram, lead analyst of the study.

The study finds a direct correlation between increase in power demand and heatwaves. This correlation is clearly evident in urban areas and affluent regions whereas in rural and under developed regions, power demand during heatwave remains flat. This is explained by inadequate power infrastructure and cooling appliance affordability in rural areas.

“In this first of its kind study, we looked at India’s yearly power consumption patterns and juxtaposed them with hourly temperature increases across the states and union territories of India to reveal how increases in temperature are driving up electricity consumption”, said Dr. Ram.

2025 has already witnessed the hottest February since 1901. According to the IMD prediction, the coming months are expected to be warmer than before. The fingerprints of human induced climate change have been repeatedly attributed by scientists to India’s heatwaves in the last few years.

Heatwaves cause significant risks, especially to vulnerable populations.

Understanding the impact of heatwaves and high temperatures on power demand is crucial for planning annual power capacity additions. Rising temperatures directly contribute to increased electricity demand, ultimately straining power grids and driving up energy costs. "

The more fossil dependencies we add, the worse the heatwaves will get. This creates a feedback loop where higher consumption can lead to more emissions, further exacerbating climate change. Hence, planners need to raise their annual renewable energy capacity targets to account for increased demand due to heatwaves and high temperatures,” said Archana Choudhary, Associate Director, Climate Trends.