Panaji: The electricity department is seeing a shift in power consumption patterns, with peak demand now extending well beyond the traditional 6pm-10pm window and continuing past midnight, particularly on warmer nights.The trend was first observed during the summer and persisted between July and Oct amid higher temperatures and a monsoon deficit.“In April the maximum demand during peak hours was 900MW. On Oct 22 the maximum demand during peak hours touched 860MW. Earlier our peak load would continue till around 10pm but now we see peak load till 1am,” said superintending engineer Rajiv Samant.Officials attributed the change to prolonged hot weather, rapid urbanisation, changing work patterns, late operating hours for establishments, increased use of air-conditioners at night, and tourism.“There is also a lot of construction taking place and people migrating from villages. Every flat will have an AC without which people cannot sustain the heat,” he added.According to electricity department data, Goa’s peak demand was 714MW in 2021-22. It grew by 2.9% in 2022-23, 6.5% in 2023-24, 5.1% in 2024-25 and 4.1% in 2025-26.The state has over 7 lakh consumers, including 5.76 lakh domestic consumers.Peak demand is projected to cross 1,000MW by 2029-30, rising from 857MW in 2025-26 to 900MW in 2026-27, 937MW in 2027-28, 983MW in 2028-29 and 1,033MW in 2029-30.To meet rising demand while expanding renewable energy capacity, govt plans to install battery energy storage systems with a combined capacity of 1,000MWh at various substations by 2029-30.According to the department, the batteries will be charged during the day and discharged during the evening peak period, reducing the need for costly power purchases from power exchanges.
