Riyaz Bhat
Srinagar, Apr 10: Jammu and Kashmir is likely to witness nearly 15 percent increase in peak power demand by the upcoming fiscal.
An official said that till the ongoing fiscal, Jammu and Kashmir has touched a peak power demand of nearly 3000-3100 Megawatts (MW) of power.
According to official documents, the region was having actual peak power demand of 2675 MW till the year 2016-17.
However, after six years, the peak power demand in the year 2021-22 had increased by 401 MW. In this fiscal, Jammu and Kashmir was having an actual power demand of 3076 MW.
The official documents further projected that by the upcoming fiscal (2026-27), there may be further increase in peak power demand. Authorities in a report have projected that there will be a power demand of 3566 MW by the upcoming fiscal.
Pertinently, as already reported by KNO that in the past nine years, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed an average annual increase of 3.60 percent in electric power purchases while the growth stands at only 2.45 percent.
An official had said, “Over the past years from 2016-17 to 2024-25, Jammu and Kashmir has experienced an average annual increase of 3.60 percent in electric power purchases, as per extrapolated data.”
“When considered on a per capita basis, the growth rate stands at 2.45 percent per year, reflecting the region’s increasing energy demand. This growth is also in line with the region’s population increase, which has been growing at an annual rate of 2.14 percent during the same period,” the official had said.
It also said that till November 2024, the number of electricity connections and consumers in various categories in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 23.65 lakh, compared to 23.45 lakh in March 2024 that indicates a steady increase in the number of people and businesses receiving power supply.
Notably, it was reports that Jammu and Kashmir is facing an excessive gap of more than 15 percent between the power requirement and actual power available for its consumers.
The official documents in this regard reads, “The gap between power requirement and actual power available is quite high at about 14-16 percent approximately in J&K.”
