India predicts heat waves in threat to wheat crop, power supply

India will witness hotter weather in the coming months, after recording the second-warmest February in more than a century, raising the risk of water shortages, crop damages and a severe strain on the power network.

Most parts of the country are likely to have more days of heat waves than usual during the three months ending on May 31, D.S. Pai, additional director general of the India Meteorological Department, said at a briefing on Friday.

An early onset of summer has already stoked concerns about wheat crops in the second-biggest grower of the grain. In 2022, the hottest March in more than 100 years hit production and forced the government to curb exports. Rising temperatures will also boost the consumption of coal by power plants to avoid blackouts in the country.

The average maximum temperatures across the nation rose to 29.07C in February, the second highest for the month since at least 1901, according to the weather office. Temperatures in March - crucial for wheat plants that are at a vulnerable stage - may be above normal in most parts of India, it said.

The power system in India is gearing up for a record peak demand of 270 gigawatts this summer, a rise of 8% from last year.

Coal inventories at power plants touched an all-time high on Thursday, as producers stockpiled the fuel for the coming summer, making policymakers confident that an increase in demand will be met. Still, the nation remains vulnerable to blackouts during evenings as solar power generation stops.

While the focus is on keeping the generation fleet ready, extreme heat is posing grave threats to the grid as well. Last summer, India saw a series of transformer fires mostly because of excessive use of air-conditioners to beat high temperatures.