New Delhi: Krushna Chandra Panigrahy, director general, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, on Friday said that Indian users shifting from LPG to induction‑based cooking amid shortages caused by the West Asia war could add 13–27 gigawatts of additional power demand at the distribution level.
The wide band of 13–27 GW range is due to complexity of demand estimations because of the diverse usage patterns across regions, differences in climate, socio‑economic conditions, and cooking habits, Panigrahy said.
A significant impact on overall demand is yet to be seen, Panigrahy said, according to multiple reports.
India imports about 90 per cent of its LPG through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted by the West Asian conflict, prompting users to shift to electric induction stoves.
Piyush Singh, Additional Secretary, Power Ministry had said that India expects to add over 22 GW of capacity between April and June, including 3.5 GW of thermal, 10 GW of solar, 2.5 GW of wind, 1.9 GW of battery energy storage and 750 MW of hydro power. Further, additional capacities in pump storage and hybrid projects will contribute to the country’s supply.
The power ministry has deferred maintenance of 10 GW of coal-based power plants by three months to be able to meet the country’s power demand in view of the West Asia war which has resulted in shortages of gas supplies.
“During this period, plants go to maintenance, however, considering requirement and loss of gas based supply we have deferred maintenance,” Singh said. He estimated peak power demand could reach 271 GW this year.
The official said that gas‑fired plants have been allowed to import their own LNG and that the government is monitoring coal supplies as they focus on capacity additions.
Global LNG export volume declined to 8.6mmt for the week ending March 7 and to 7.8 mmt in the subsequent week, from about 9.6 million tonnes per week in Feb 2026, largely due to a fall in Qatar’s shipments from 1.7 million tonnes to 0.06 million tonnes.
(IANS)
