Goa, May 21 -- India's electricity demand touched a record 270 GW on Thursday as a severe heatwave continued to sweep across large parts of the country, putting enormous pressure on the national power grid for the fourth consecutive day.

According to the power ministry, peak power demand reached 270.82 GW at 3:45 pm and was successfully met without major disruptions. The previous record of 265.44 GW had been recorded only a day earlier on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that extreme temperatures are likely to persist through the week across northwest, central and adjoining eastern parts of the country. Authorities said the intense daytime heat has sharply increased electricity consumption, especially due to c...