India's annual electricity use down for the first time in at least 35 years

India's annual electricity use fell for the first time in at least 35 years during the fiscal year to end-March 2021, a Reuters analysis of government data showed, mainly due to intense lockdowns to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

India's power generation fell 0.2% during the year 2020/21 compared with the previous year, the data showed, mainly due to the imposition of lockdowns that resulted in a decline in electricity production for six straight months ending in August.

Demand for electricity has picked up since, however, and a generation grew 23.3% in March from a year earlier, the seventh consecutive monthly increase and the fastest since March 2010.