The sudden surge in induction stove sales”nearly thirty-fold”has been hailed as a quick fix to the LPG crisis triggered by the Gulf war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Yet beneath the excitement lies a dangerous oversight: our local power infrastructure is simply not ready for this electric revolution.
India’s grid was historically not designed to sustain this surge in power. While power plants may generate enough electricity, neighbourhood transformers and street wires are too “thin” to carry the heavy load of thousands of induction stoves switched on simultaneously. A single induction unit consumes 2000 watts”equivalent to running two air-conditioners. Imagine the 8 PM dinner hour when geysers, ACs, and stoves all compete for power; the result could be transformer overloads, fires, and blackouts.
Unlike data centres that enjoy thick, dedicated cables, our kitchens are still connected through fragile wiring. To upgrade every street in India would take years, not weeks. Meanwhile, panic buying of induction stoves has already shuttered restaurants and eateries, leaving households scrambling for alternatives. Ministers may downplay the shortage, but the reality is stark: the infrastructure bottleneck is real, and the risks are immediate.
The public must be cautioned against discarding LPG entirely. Induction stoves should be used wisely”as backups, not replacements. Citizens must avoid running multiple heavy appliances together, lest they trip their own breakers or collapse the neighbourhood grid.
Bottom line: India has the power, but not the plumbing. Until our wires are strengthened, the induction frenzy could turn into an electrical nightmare. Responsible use, not reckless panic, is the need of the hour.
