UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India Meets All-Time Highest Peak Power Demand of ~256 GW Without Shortage

Q1. In the context of India's power sector, the figure of 256.1 GW attributed to 25 April 2026 most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The maximum instantaneous electricity demand met by the grid at a single moment during the day
  • B. The total quantum of electrical energy consumed across India over that entire day
  • C. India's total installed electricity generation capacity as on that date
  • D. The cumulative electricity generated from non-fossil sources during the summer season

Q2. Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India) operates the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) together with how many Regional Load Despatch Centres (RLDCs)?

  • A. Three
  • B. Five
  • C. Seven
  • D. Nine

Q3. The realisation of 'One Nation-One Grid-One Frequency' in 2013 is specifically associated with which one of the following developments?

  • A. Synchronous interconnection of the Southern Region with the rest of the national grid through the 765 kV Solapur–Raichur line
  • B. The first inter-regional AC link established between the Eastern and North-Eastern Regions
  • C. The 400 kV Rourkela–Raipur double-circuit line linking the Eastern and Western Regions
  • D. The commissioning of the first cross-border HVDC link with Bangladesh

Q4. Which one of the following was the first inter-regional alternating current (AC) transmission link established in the process of India's grid integration?

  • A. The 220 kV link between the Eastern Region and the North-Eastern Region
  • B. The 765 kV Solapur–Raichur link between the Western and Southern Regions
  • C. The 400 kV Rourkela–Raipur link between the Eastern and Western Regions
  • D. The Northern–Western Region synchronous interconnection

Q5. In India's solar power expansion, which one of the following Central Public Sector Enterprises functions as the principal nodal agency for implementing large-scale solar projects and tenders?

  • A. Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)
  • B. NTPC Limited
  • C. Grid Controller of India (Grid-India)
  • D. Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID)

Q6. PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the scheme for rooftop solar in one crore households, is implemented by which one of the following ministries?

  • A. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • B. Ministry of Power
  • C. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Q7. Both the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) and the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), aimed at reforming power distribution, are administered by which one of the following?

  • A. Ministry of Power
  • B. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • C. Ministry of Finance
  • D. NITI Aayog

Q8. During the record peak demand of 25 April 2026, India continued to export electricity to certain neighbouring countries even while meeting domestic demand. With reference to this, which of the following is/are NOT correctly identified as a country to which India exported electricity during that period?

  1. Nepal
  2. Bangladesh
  3. Myanmar
  4. Bhutan
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4 only