India braces for record electricity demand amid heatwave, risking wheat crop damage

Most parts of India will witness hotter-than-usual weather through June, raising the risk of water shortages and more strain on the power network as people turn to air conditioners to find reprieve from searing heat.

Several areas in the country were likely to experience more heatwave days than normal during the three months through June, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department, said in New Delhi on Monday. Maximum temperatures were likely to be higher than normal in April, too, he said.

The prediction follows a warmer-than-normal March, raising the risk of some damage to wheat crops that are being harvested now. Any decline in production could prompt the government to cut or scrap the 40 per cent import duty on the food grain. India has curbed exports since 2022 when the hottest March in more than a century hit output and forced the government to introduce restrictions to control food prices.

Policymakers are bracing for a record peak electricity demand this summer. The government has asked power plant operators to avoid maintenance shutdowns during the season. The authorities can draw comfort from a 16 per cent rise in coal stockpiles at power stations from a year earlier, still efforts are afoot to ensure supplies are well distributed across different regions.

Tags: Production, wheat, India, heat, damage