NEW DELHI, June 2 -- Pre-monsoon showers and receding heatwaves have cooled India's power demand which hit a scorching record in recent weeks, data from the national grid controller showed. Tuesday's peak demand fell to around 242 GW, way below the previous week's over 260 GW, even as the weatherman set a 4 June date for the monsoon's tryst with the Kerala coast.

As power demand cooled, supply concerns eased as well: data from the Grid Controller of India showed that shortages during the last week ranged from zero to 0.36 million units, down from the 16 million units seen just a week earlier. Once rains sweep over the subcontinent, demand is expected to fall further, easing strain on the power system that has seen frequent late-evening o...