India’s less industrialised states lead electricity demand recovery

CHENNAI (Reuters) – India’s less industrialized states have led a recovery in electricity demand that began in September, a Reuters analysis of government data showed.

Power use in less industrialized states such as Bihar and Chhattisgarh in the east, and Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in the north, grew at over 10% each compared with the previous year, both for the quarter and the six months ending on March 31, the data showed.

Graphic: India’s electricity use growth in FY 2021 vs FY 2020 https://graphics.reuters.com/INDIA-ELECTRICITY/STATES/azgvodolxpd/chart.png

All these states – which have high agricultural and residential power consumption – consumed more electricity than in the previous year, though India’s annual power demand fell for the first time in at least 35 years in 2020/21.