Parts of India are facing power cuts as record-breaking heat has driven electricity demand to more than 270 gigawatts, prompting the government to urge consumers to limit usage.
In the southern city of Chennai, residents reported repeated outages lasting between 40 minutes and an hour overnight, affecting both households and businesses.
“South Chennai has seen frequent power cuts over the past two days, with outages at short intervals,” said resident R. Hari, adding that the disruptions had made it difficult to work from home.
India’s national grid operator, Grid-India, said the peak power deficit reached around 2.57 gigawatts late on Thursday evening.
In a statement, the power ministry acknowledged the strain on the system, urging the public to “use electricity wisely and judiciously” during the intense summer heat.
The surge in demand comes as an El Niño weather pattern brings above-average temperatures across much of the subcontinent.
Power shortages are particularly acute during the evening, when electricity supply relies heavily on thermal and hydropower generation. During the day, solar power helps meet part of the demand.
Experts say rising temperatures, including increasingly hot nights, are placing growing pressure on India’s energy infrastructure.
Disha Aggarwal of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water said the country must urgently expand battery storage capacity to store surplus solar energy for use after sunset.
Weather authorities have forecast “heatwave to severe heatwave conditions” in New Delhi and across large parts of northern and eastern India through late May.
Residents in the capital and nearby Noida have also complained of overnight outages, while protests have been reported in the eastern state of Odisha amid prolonged power cuts.
El Niño is a natural climate pattern marked by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.
According to the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), it occurs irregularly every two to seven years and disrupts global weather systems, influencing rainfall, wind patterns and temperatures across large parts of the world.
The phenomenon typically has a warming effect on global temperatures and is linked to an increased likelihood of extreme weather events.
For India, El Niño is particularly significant because of its impact on the monsoon. It is often associated with weaker rainfall and higher temperatures, conditions that can contribute to prolonged heatwaves and water stress.
India’s weather authorities have also found that during past El Niño events, heatwaves have tended to last longer, occur more frequently and cover wider areas, increasing pressure on infrastructure and public health systems.
The WMO has warned that Asia is warming faster than the global average, a trend that is contributing to more frequent and intense heatwaves across the region
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies...
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military position...
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tourna...
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev a...
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported...
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military positions in Mali on Saturday and said it had seized control of at least three of them.
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tournament.
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev and Japarov had ruled the Central Asian nation in tandem since 2020, until the former was unexpectedly ousted in February.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Germany has requested urgent talks with China's ambassador following reports that Chinese authorities trained Russian soldiers, adding fresh strain to relations between Beijing and Europe amid the war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev and Japarov had ruled the Central Asian nation in tandem since 2020, until the former was unexpectedly ousted in February.
Uzbekistan will open an embassy in Georgia, the Central Asian country’s presidency has said. The announcement follows talks between Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in Tbilisi.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the eastern German city of Erfurt on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) opened its annual party conference, where delegates voted to keep Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as the party's co-leaders.
Armenia's parliament has passed a new law raising the requirements for citizens living abroad to vote in national elections, following concerns over alleged efforts to influence last month's parliamentary vote through Armenian citizens residing in Russia.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment