Despite record rise in power generation, demand outstrips production

Power cuts are not only disrupting daily life but are also jeopardising livelihoods, particularly in rural areas where farming is the primary source of income

In the heart of rural Uttar Pradesh, the flicker of electricity is a rare and precious sight. For many residents, like Pushpindar Kumar, a farmer in Kakaruwa, a village in Lalitpur district, about 600 km south of Delhi, the reality of life is dictated by an unreliable power supply.

“We face severe power cuts, with electricity being available only for six hours a day, three hours during the day and three at night. For the remaining hours, we have no electricity at all. This situation has caused us immense suffering, especially during the summer. The heat becomes unbearable and we struggle to keep our homes cool, making it difficult to sleep or carry out household chores,” Kumar tells Media India Group.

“Our children can’t study properly under these conditions. They try to do their homework by candlelight, but it is hard for them to concentrate and read in such poor lighting. Their education and future prospects are at risk because of this. The heat during summer makes life even more unbearable. Without fans or coolers, we are left to endure the oppressive heat, drenched in sweat and unable to sleep. The days are excruciatingly hot and nights are no better. We suffer immensely during heatwaves, with no relief in sight,” he adds.

Neither Kumar, nor Kakaruwa  the only village impacted by severe power cuts all year round as India is increasingly reeling under a severe power shortage. What is perhaps most surprising is that the power cuts have increased in almost direct proportion with rise in installed capacity for power generation.

According to the Ministry of Power, India’s power generation capacity witnessed its highest growth rate in over 30 years in FY23. The installed capacity which was 2,48,554 MW in March 2014 has increased to 4,46,190 MW in June 2024.

Despite the significant increase in capacity, frequent and prolonged outages continue to disrupt daily life, particularly in rural areas. The government’s claims of self-sufficiency in electricity production do not align with the ground reality, where households and businesses struggle with unreliable power supply. While power generation has grown, consumption has been rising much faster and in the first seven months of the year, it has risen by about 7 pc, year-on-year and creating a shortfall of over 20 pc between supply and demand.

The situation is especially dire in villages, where power cuts last for over 12 hours each day, making it difficult for families to carry out basic tasks and severely impacting their productivity and quality of life.

Power cuts are not only disrupting daily life but are also jeopardising livelihoods, particularly in rural areas where farming is the primary source of income. The frequent outages cripple essential farming activities, from operating machinery to irrigating fields. This failure of infrastructure impacts not just the daily routines of people, but also the core of their livelihoods. The inability to maintain agricultural productivity and livestock health creates a ripple effect, deepening the struggles of those who rely on farming to sustain their families.

“Despite our pleas and the government’s promises to improve the power situation, it feels like nobody listens to us. We are left aside by everyone, our struggles ignored. It is disheartening to see how rural areas like ours are neglected while urban regions receive better infrastructure and more consistent power supply. Our productivity plummets, and we struggle to carry out basic tasks. We feel abandoned, with our cries for help falling on deaf ears,” says Kumar from Kakaruwa village.

“Power cuts have become a cruel norm for us, and we have no choice but to accept this harsh reality. Nights are particularly grim, without electricity, we are forced to prepare dinner in darkness, making even the simplest tasks a struggle. Daytime is no better, as frequent power cuts exacerbate our suffering. As farmers, these outages have a devastating impact on our work. Our machinery, crucial for ploughing and harvesting, remains idle, preventing us from tending to our fields efficiently. Irrigation has become a major challenge, without power to run our pumps, we struggle to provide our crops with the water they need,” Balveer Jaat, a farm worker from Dadru Zila, Shekhar Fatehpur Rajasthan, tells Media India Group.

“The situation also impacts our livestock, which also suffers from the lack of power. Without proper lighting and ventilation, their health deteriorates, affecting their productivity and well-being. This summer, the relentless heat has been unbearable. Without fans or coolers, the heat has made working in the fields and caring for our animals almost unbearable. The power cuts undermine our ability to sustain our farming, our primary source of income. We face a dire future, struggling to keep our livelihood intact amidst these continuous power failures,” he adds.

India’s power consumption surged by approximately 11 pc to 144.25 billion units (BU) in April, a record 156.31 BU in May, 152.38 BU in June and 145.4 BU in July, driven largely by a rise in temperatures. This increase in demand highlights the growing strain on the country’s power infrastructure. The higher temperatures have intensified the need for cooling systems and other electrical usage, underscoring the challenges in meeting the escalating energy requirements. As demand continues to climb, addressing power supply and infrastructure issues becomes increasingly critical to ensuring reliable electricity access across the nation.

Electricity is the lifeline of a modern civilisation, powering homes, industries, and essential services. Yet, for many households in India, consistent power supply remains a distant dream. In its manifesto for the 2024 general elections, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised ‘free electricity’ to poor households through solar rooftop systems under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. But on the ground, even two months later, there is little sign of any progress.

“The government has made promises of free electricity through initiatives like the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, but the practical implementation has been frustratingly slow. As a result, many of us continue to grapple with unreliable electricity,” Sunita Devi, a resident of Dumari Bihar, tells Media India Group

“Every day, we face power outages that last for hours, disrupting our lives and making it difficult to carry out basic tasks. It is a reminder that while progress has been made on paper, the reality for millions of households is still a struggle, we are poor and we simply can’t afford an inverter to provide us with backup power. During the recent heatwave, we suffered immensely. The days were excruciatingly hot, and nights were no better. The oppressive heat made it impossible to sleep, and we spent many nights awake, drenched in sweat and struggling to find some relief,” Devi adds.

According to a survey by LocalCircles, a social media platform, two out of three households experience outages, with one in three enduring cuts of over two hours each day.

India currently boasts an installed electricity capacity of 446 gigawatts (GW), with 211 GW derived from coal, 195 GW from renewable sources and the remainder from gas and nuclear energy. However, this capacity does not always translate into reliable availability, especially during peak demand periods exacerbated by extreme weather conditions. For instance, on May 30, 2024, a peak power demand of 250 GW was recorded at 3 PM, with estimates suggesting it remained around 225 GW through the night. This level of demand poses a significant challenge for coal, the most dependable power source, which alone cannot meet such high demands during evening hours.

A new research report from the India Energy and Climate Centre (IECC) at the University of California, Berkeley, raises serious concerns about the country’s electricity stability. The report predicts increasing evening power cuts by 2027, attributed to insufficient renewable energy-powered backup despite ongoing efforts to enhance power generation capacity. That is hardly the kind of news to brighten the lives or nights of people like Pushpindar Kumar.