Delhi's peak power demand may cross 7,000 MW

NEW DELHI: Delhi is edging closer to an all-time high in peak power consumption. While the city’s power needs rise by an approximate 8-10% annually, the intense heatwave this year is likely to spike the peak demand by up to 20%. Delhi government is preparing for a summer peak of 7,000MW, but industry experts warn that even that may be crossed in the next two months.



Usually, Delhi sees its power demand peaking in June or July. Already, the number of times the demand has peaked in May this year is six times higher than the previous year. “The worst of the summer is yet to come. Over the next few weeks, the demand may surpass all previous records. Discoms will carefully monitor the situation to ensure there is no sudden gap in the demand-supply ratio,” an official said.

Delhi government has told discoms to be on a high alert and be prepared for any crisis. The government has already started the process of penalising power companies for unscheduled outages. TOI had reported on Wednesday how the peak temperature in the capital had stayed at 43° Celsius or above for eight straight days — making it the longest spell of intense heat in the month of May in five years.

On Thursday, the power demand peaked at 6,417MW around 3:33pm, a tad lower than Wednesday’s peak demand of 6,442MW. In days to come, the demand is expected to rise even further. “We normally see the power demand peaking between 3pm and 4pm when air conditioners are working in full swing. Demand can also peak at night,” an industry expert said.

Discoms, meanwhile, are taking no chances. “As the Met department has predicted an extremely hot summer, we expect the peak power demand to reach 1,850MW in areas under our jurisdiction. The demand will be met through our long-term tie-ups and other suitable arrangements, amounting to around 2,200 MW. Our power-banking arrangements with other states will contribute significantly to ensuring regular supply and will take care of any contingency requirements,” Sanjay Banga, CEO, Tata Power-DDL, said.

Peak power demand in BRPL’s areas in south and west Delhi, which had reached 2,745 MW in 2017, is expected to be around 2,882 MW this year. In east and central Delhi areas covered by BYPL, the peak power demand is likely to touch 1,668 MW against 1,469 MW last year. Discoms claimed that they had made adequate arrangements to source power to meet the peak demand of around 40 lakh consumers.