Slowdown blues impacts supply of electricity

Power supply fell to 101.92 billion units in December, down 1.1% from 103.04 billion units last year, an analysis of daily load despatch data from state-run Power System Operation Corp Ltd (POSOCO) showed.

India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA), an arm of the federal power ministry, is expected to release official data on power demand later this month. POSOCO releases provisional load despatch data every day. Lower electricity supply could mean a fifth consecutive fall in power demand, as electricity deficit in India is marginal.

Electricity supply fell 4.2% in November and 12.8% in October, according to the CEA. The October decline in electricity demand and supply was the fastest in at least 12 years.

Electricity demand is seen by economists as an important indicator of industrial output and a deceleration could point to a further slowdown. Annual consumption of electricity by industry accounts for more than two-fifths of India’s annual electricity consumption, as per government data.