Karnataka braces for 21,000 MW power demand in summer next year

Karnataka’s daily electricity demand is projected to rise to around 21,000 megawatts (MW) during the summer of 2027. According to Energy Department data, Karnataka’s power demand peaked at 18,650 MW during the summer of 2025. It subsequently touched 20,000 MW in September 2026 amid deficit rainfall and intense heat. Department sources expect demand to increase by 1,000 MW in the coming year.

Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, said, “We are fully aware that there will be high temperatures and more demand for power, for which we have already prepared. Moreover, the cooling loads which exist due to the failure of monsoons will decrease in the month of November and December.”

Elaborating on the preparedness for summer, Mr. Gupta said that about 2,000 MW to 3,000 MW spare capacity of energy source is available. “We will also procure almost 400 MW of power from April 1 next year under the SHAKTI (Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India) policy from private generators. As per the agreement among Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, the process of returning power to these States — 1,000 MW each day — in exchange of power we borrowed during peak summer last year was completed by September 30, 2026.”

He said that from November 1, 2026, onwards, these three States would provide 1,000 MW to Karnataka each day. “We are also banking on Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam, as excess energy produced in these States is bought under the One Nation, One Grid and One Frequency system. With multiple sources like Central Generating Stations (CGS) and KPCL’s thermal and hydropower capacity of 3,000 MW, we can generate upto 20,000 MW,” he said.

At the same time, department sources revealed that generation of hydroelectric power has declined by 60%. As per the data, last year, the hydropower generated during September-October was 5,096 MU while this year, it has reduced to 2,100 MU.

Appeal to consumers

Though there are no official instruction issued on scaling down consumption as of now, Mr. Gupta has appealed to the public to use electricity judiciously. “Atleast if people are using air conditioners, they should use it with a reasonable setting of temperature which should not be less than 22 degrees or 24 degrees. But it will be good if people can save on the electricity bills keeping the high electricity demand in focus,” he said.