Lucknow, May 25 -- Amid rising power demand and complaints of outages in parts of Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officials to ensure uninterrupted and quality electricity supply across both rural and urban areas during the peak summer season, a government spokesman said. Reviewing the performance of the energy department at his official residence here, the chief minister said sustained monitoring should be carried out at all levels so that consumers, farmers, traders and industries did not face any power crisis. He stressed that the energy department should function with "sensitivity and promptness" during the challenging summer period. "The chief minister also called for increasing power generation capacity and ensuring optimum utilisation of all generating units," the spokesman said. Officials, according to the spokesman, informed the meeting that the total installed capacity of the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) had risen to 13,388 megawatt mw), including 9,120 mw from thermal projects and 526.4 mw from hydroelectric projects. Besides, the state is receiving 3,742 mw from joint venture projects such as Meja, Ghatampur and Khurja. According to officials, the state's installed generation capacity has increased by 86% between 2022 and 2026, while nearly 10,000 mw is now being generated through non-conventional energy sources. With electricity demand rising sharply, Adityanath stressed the need for a stronger and more reliable transmission system. He asked officials to minimise technical disruptions and maintain continuous monitoring of the transmission network. Officials said the state currently has 60,858 circuit kilometres of transmission lines and 715 substations with a capacity of 2,05,632 MVA. Transmission network availability stands at 99.3%, while transmission losses have been reduced to 3.2%. The review meeting comes at a time when power supply issues have begun attracting attention beyond the Opposition, with some BJP legislators also flagging complaints over outages in recent weeks. However, while the chief minister issued a series of directions on supply, complaint redressal and service delivery, the review, according to officials, largely focused on operational preparedness and achievements in the sector, with officials presenting data on improvements in capacity addition, lower transformer failure rates and reduced transmission losses. "We explained the ground realities and practical constraints to the CM who heard us out and then asked us to take necessary measures to further improve the power situation," a senior UPPCL official attending the meeting disclosed. There was no immediate indication of any heads rolling, major corrective measures, restructuring exercise accountability action or any warning during the meeting, which largely remained focused on ensuring uninterrupted supply during the summer season. Officials informed the meeting that storms on May 4, 7 and 15 affected 38 substations and 326 feeders across the state, but supply was restored through repair and maintenance work. The review meeting was informed that rising temperatures in April and May had led to a significant increase in electricity demand. The average daily demand met increased from 501 million units between April 15 and May 22 last year to 561 million units during the same period this year, while peak demand rose from 29,831 mw to 30,339 mw. Officials said UP ranked second in the country in meeting electricity demand on May 20, 21 and 22. To manage increasing demand, the state has entered into power banking arrangements with 12 states to ensure uninterrupted supply despite disruptions in power availability from certain generating stations since May 15. On consumer services, the chief minister asked officials to improve transparency and communication and said consumers should be informed not only about outages but also about the expected timeline for restoration. Officials said 89.23 lakh smart meters had so far been installed in the state. All smart prepaid consumers have now been shifted back to a postpaid system and monthly bills will be issued between the first and tenth of every month from June 2026. Adityanath also underlined the need to improve billing and collection efficiency, saying timely and accurate billing should be ensured for all consumers....