New Delhi, April 24 -- India's early and intense summer is pushing electricity demand towards the highest levels seen during last year's peak summer, challenging the country's power system for the weeks ahead. Peak demand rose to nearly 240 gigawatts (GW) this week amid rising use of cooling appliances, up from about 215GW end March, according to the Grid Controller of India. With the weather bureau warning of sustained above-normal temperatures, demand is seen rising further, raising the likelihood of new records this season. The record high power demand so far is 250GW seen on 30 May 2024. The highest level of the 2025 summer was 242.77GW seen in June. Apex power sector planning body, the Central Electricity Authority, sees India's peak d...