Uttar Pradesh projected to be power-surplus state in 2025-26: CEA report

Uttar Pradesh is expected to experience a favorable power situation in the financial year 2025-26, with a projected annual surplus of 4,391 megawatts (MW) in peak demand and 25,720 million units (MU) in energy availability, according to the latest Load Generation Balance Report (LGBR) from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

The peak demand for Uttar Pradesh in 2025-26 is projected to be the second-highest in the country, following Maharashtra, which is expected to reach a peak demand of 35,081 MW during the same year.

The report anticipates the peak demand in June 2025 to be 33,849 MW, with an expected availability of 38,240 MW, resulting in a surplus of 13%. In terms of energy, the state will require 1,75,170 MU, while availability is expected to be 2,00,890 MU, ensuring a 14.7% surplus.

The summer months, typically characterized by higher demand, are also expected to experience surpluses. In June 2025, a peak surplus of 3,081 MW (9.1%) is expected, along with a nominal energy surplus of 22 MU. July is forecasted to see an even larger surplus, with a peak surplus of 4,733 MW (14.1%) and 155 MU in energy.

The months of October and December will witness the highest monthly surpluses in peak power, with 4,756 MW (20.2%) each. January 2026 is set to record the largest energy surplus of the year at 3,826 MU.

Despite these overall surpluses, May 2025 will face a minor energy deficit of 1.0% (180 MU), despite having a peak surplus of 968 MW, highlighting the challenge of sustaining high consumption levels.

In the northern region, most states and Union Territories, including Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab, have largely met their energy requirements. However, states like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand experienced small gaps between energy required and energy supplied, ranging from 0.2% to 0.4%.

The report also notes that the Energy Requirement and Peak Demand for the northern region in 2024-25 exceeded expectations by 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively.

“The Peak Demand and Energy Requirement in the States/UTs have been worked out on the basis of the trend analysis considering the data for the preceding years as also the specific load requirements, if any, as per the established methodology. The availability of electricity has been worked out on the basis of the generation programme firmed up by CEA after consultations with the generating companies/ Utilities and finally approved by the Ministry of Power,” states the report.

The report predicts that states like Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Meghalaya will have surplus power both in terms of peak and energy on an annual basis for 2025-26.

“While Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, and Mizoram are anticipated to be surplus in terms of energy only, Uttarakhand and DVC are likely to be surplus in peak only,” the report observes.

“All other States/UTs in the country are likely to have a demand-supply gap of varying degrees for both energy and peak,” it adds. Experts attribute Uttar Pradesh’s projected surplus to improved planning, additional capacity, and better coordination between state and central generating stations.

“The report signals a positive outlook for industries, agriculture, and domestic consumers, though an efficient distribution and timely infrastructure upgrades remain crucial to converting surplus into uninterrupted supply,” said a senior official from the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL).

“It is often due to distribution and transmission networks that people experience power cuts in the summer, when the system starts to strain under heightened demand that exceeds its capacity,” the official explained.