Post coronavirus lockdown, industrial demand for power plummets by 30%

An overall generation down by 3.6 per cent YoY in March 2020, creating financial problem for producers

The economic shutdown due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak is likely to worsen the demand environment for the country's power producers which are already reeling from lower demand in March.

In March so far, power producers such as NTPC, Tata Power, Adani Power, NHPC and state government utilities generated 3,293 million units a day on average.

This is down 3.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) from 3,418 million units per day during March 2019, according to the daily generation report by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). (see the adjoining chart)

CEA’s latest data is for March 18, 2020. The economic shutdown or Janta curfew