Heat, humidity & relaxed norms keep power consumption on the rise in city

NEW DELHI:  With humidity and temperature rising, Delhi’s peak power demand clocked 6,185 MW on Wednesday, the highest so far this summer. The power demand is 21 per cent more than the corresponding peak power demand of 5,119 MW recorded on June 9 last year.  

Easing of lockdown has also contributed to the power demand in the city. At 31.4 degrees Celsius, Delhi recorded the highest minimum temperature so far this year on Wednesday, according to the IMD.

According to real-time data of the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), the national capital’s peak power demand was 6,185 MW at 2:45 PM. However, the peak demand stood at 5,559 MW on Monday, the first day of the second phase of the unlocking process of the city. It was the first time that the power demand crossed the 5,000 MW-mark this season.

The demand soared further to 5,906 on Tuesday. With an improvement in the coronavirus situation in Delhi, markets, malls, standalone shops and other establishments have been reopened. BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and Tata Power DDL recorded a peak power demand of 2,610 MW, 1,348 MW and 1,836 MW respectively, officials said.

This year, Delhi’s peak power demand is expected to be between 7,000 MW and 7,400 MW, considering the weather and the lockdown. Originally, it was expected to be around 7,900 MW, they said. According to the officials, the power demand in the city has been rising since June 1 “BSES discoms are fully geared-up to meet the power demand of their over 4.5 million consumers and 18 million residents in South, West, East and Central Delhi during the summer months,” said an official of BSES.