Gurgaon: Relentless heat, water-intensive farm activity and expanding industrial operations combined to push electricity demand to an all-time high on Saturday, with the state consuming a record 313.5 million units (MU) of power in a single day — 37.6% more than on the corresponding day last year.Despite the unprecedented load, the state’s two power distribution companies managed to keep the lights on, avoiding any major supply disruption.The record was driven largely by Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), where demand surged 37.6% year-on-year to 176.4 MU from 128.2 MU. Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) also registered a sharp rise, supplying 137.2 MU against 109 MU a year ago — an increase of 25.9%. Together, the two discoms supplied the highest single-day electricity consumption ever recorded in Haryana.Energy minister Anil Vij attributed the spike to sustained high temperatures, increased agricultural pumping and rising industrial demand. “Advance power procurement, strengthening of the transmission network and continuous monitoring of the distribution system enabled the utilities to meet the record demand without resorting to major outages,” he said.The figures also reflected how rapidly demand climbed through the second half of July. UHBVN’s daily consumption rose from 86.2 MU on July 10 to 137.2 MU on July 18, while DHBVN’s load increased from 143.4 MU to 176.4 MU over the same period.Within DHBVN, the Delhi zone — covering Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rewari, Nuh and Mahendergarh — accounted for the highest consumption at 106.5 MU, followed by the Hisar zone at 69.8 MU. In UHBVN, the Rohtak zone consumed 79.4 MU, while the Panchkula zone recorded 57.8 MU.The energy department said supply remained balanced across domestic, agricultural, urban and industrial consumers. Officials added that field staff monitored substations, feeders and the distribution network round the clock, while additional transformers, equipment and manpower were deployed wherever required to prevent outages despite the record demand.
