Lockdown: Within ten days, 26 per cent fall in India’s energy consumption

In a significant and historic development, India’s daily power consumption has suffered a 26 per cent fall in less than ten days since 18 March. The fall, captured in official data released by Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO), is attributed to the slump in the economic activity in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Data released today by POSOCO, a state-run enterprise under the aegis of the power ministry, showed the country’s overall energy consumption dropped from 3,586 Gigawatt Hour (GWh) on 18 March to 2,652 GWh on Thursday. The percentage fall in daily energy consumption itself has grown from 15 per cent to 26 per cent during this period.

Data also shows the steepest decline in consumption was recorded in the Western region where it fell 35 per cent to 771 GWh on 26 March as compared to 1,187 GWh on 18 March. The region houses a bulk of India’s industrial activity spread across states like Gujarat and Maharashtra.