Bengaluru, April 30: Power consumption in the state has increased significantly in April this year compared to previous years.
From April 1 to 26, Karnataka recorded 9,101 million units (MU) of electricity consumption, which is the highest in the last five years and about 20% more than the same period in 2025. In the last few years, the consumption during this period was between 7,500 to 8,000 MU.
According to senior officials of the Energy Department, extreme heat and heat exhaustion are the main reasons for the increase in power consumption. This year, there has been intense heat, and people are resorting to air conditioners and fans. This has increased power consumption, said Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta.
Due to the lack of pre-monsoon rains, the temperature has continuously increased and people are using air conditioners (AC) and coolers more. This has increased demand.
On the other hand, BESCOM officials said that the disruption in gas supply due to the conflict in West Asia may have also affected power consumption. The situation became serious in the first two weeks of April, and several big hotels started using induction stoves. This may have increased power consumption, an official said.
Many households have started using induction stoves due to the fear of unavailability of gas cylinders, which has led to an increase in domestic power consumption. BESCOM officials said that applications are being submitted to increase load capacity as several commercial establishments have switched to induction appliances for cooking. However, the use of such appliances is still low, said Gaurav Gupta.
The department is ready to handle even if the demand for power increases further. The pre-monsoon rains are expected to reduce the demand in the next few days. However, he said that even if the situation worsens, we are prepared.
It was 16,110 MW in 2023-24, 16,985 MW in 2024-25 and 17,330 MW in 2025-26. This year it has increased to 18,478 MW.