Long Blackouts Hit India as Heatwave Stokes Power Use
- Outages ranging from 2-12 hours, LocalCircles survey says
- Peak demand surged past 235 GW Tuesday, exceeding predictions
A vendor sells air coolers in New Delhi on May 20.
Photographer: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Power outages have been recorded across India after the current heatwave pushed electricity demand beyond a peak level forecast for this month.
Daily blackouts have been reported by 38% of the 15,000 households surveyed by the advocacy group LocalCircles. While most shortages lasted four hours or less, some respondents said their lights were out for up to 12 hours.