Chandigarh, July 1 -- Amid the sweltering conditions, Chandigarh's power demand climbed to the season's high of 461 megawatt (MW) on Tuesday, just shy of the record 465 MW recorded on June 12 last year. Officials of Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL), the firm managing the retail supply and distribution of electricity in the city, said so far, it has managed to meet the increased demand without disruption. A month-long comparison of daily peak loads shows a clear upward shift in demand,particularly towards the end of June. While the first week saw moderate increases over 2025 - such as 372 MW on June 4, 2026, compared to 286 MW last year and 379 MW on June 8 against 358 MW - the mid-month period saw a temporary dip due to weather changes, with the demand dropping sharply between June 12 and 15. The latter half of the month recorded a consistent surge, with multiple days crossing 370 MW and touching 400 MW on June 26. The biggest spike was seen on the last day of the month when the demand reached 461 MW, far exceeding 283 MW on the same day last year (see box). With temperatures expected to remain high, the peak demand is likely to cross last year's record in the coming days, putting further pressure on the distribution network, officials say. To manage the load, CPDL officials say they have undertaken preventive maintenance of critical infrastructure, including transformers and feeders. Round-the-clock operations and maintenance teams have also been deployed to promptly address faults, they added....