Eight of India’s ten highest power-consuming states saw a year-on-year drop in electricity use in the first quarter of financial year 2025-26 (FY26), on account of unseasonal rain in May and a high base from last year. Overall, power consumption across the country fell 1.4 per cent year-on-year to 451.8 billion units (BU) between April and June, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
Maharashtra, India’s biggest power guzzler, saw a marginal dip in electricity use to 53 BU in Q1 FY26, from 53.4 BU a year ago. Uttar Pradesh logged a sharper 5.6 per cent fall to 46.1 BU. Only Punjab and Gujarat bucked the trend, inching up by 2.2 per cent and 0.4 per cent to 20.9 BU and 41.9 BU, respectively.
Consumption fell 3 per cent in Tamil Nadu, 2.9 per cent in Karnataka, 2.4 per cent in Rajasthan, 1.4 per cent in West Bengal, 1 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, and 0.2 per cent in Andhra Pradesh. These ten states account for 70 per cent of India’s electricity consumption.
Barring Maharashtra (flat), Andhra Pradesh (-2 per cent), and Karnataka (1 per cent), most of these states had recorded strong growth in Q1 FY25. Uttar Pradesh had grown 24 per cent, Rajasthan 21 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh 14 per cent, while national power consumption had risen 11 per cent. Notably, power use in Punjab and Gujarat registered positive growth this year despite having expanded by 25 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively, in Q1 FY25.
In addition to last year’s high base, unseasonal rain also weighed on power demand between April and June. While consumption rose 2.6 per cent y-o-y in April, it fell 4.7 per cent in May amid unexpected showers in north India, and declined 1.8 per cent in June due to excess rainfall. The southwest monsoon had covered the entire country by June 29 this year, against the normal date of July 8.
“Rainfall in the northwest region, which includes north India as per the classification of India Meteorological Department (IMD), was 37% above normal, in sharp contrast to June 2024, which saw heatwaves and rainfall 33% below normal. In the southern region, however, power demand increased 5.3% on-year, in line with a rainfall deficit of 5% in the southern peninsula this June,” according to a Crisil Intelligence report.
Still, despite the dip in Q1 FY26, India’s power consumption has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7 per cent since Q1 FY22. Among the top ten states, Uttar Pradesh led with 9.2 per cent, followed by West Bengal (8.8 per cent), Rajasthan (8.3 per cent), Gujarat (8.2 per cent), and Punjab (8.1 per cent). At the other end, Andhra Pradesh (3.6 per cent), Tamil Nadu (4.9 per cent), and Maharashtra (5 per cent) saw the slowest growth.
Power use in top 5 states
|
State |
Q1 FY26 |
Q1 FY25 |
Growth (%) |
CAGR since Q1 FY22 (%) |
|
Maharashtra |
53 |
53.4 |
-0.7 |
5 |
|
Uttar Pradesh |
46.1 |
48.8 |
-5.6 |
9.2 |
|
Gujarat |
42.1 |
41.9 |
0.4 |
8.2 |
|
Tamil Nadu |
34.6 |
35.7 |
-3 |
4.9 |
|
Rajasthan |
28 |
28.7 |
-2.4 |
8.3 |
|
All India |
445.6 |
451.8 |
-1.4 |
7 Story continues below this ad |
Figures in billion units (BU)/ Source: Central Electricity Authority (CEA)
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
.