Delhi’s peak power demand surged to an unprecedented 8,000 MW on Wednesday, the highest ever recorded in the national capital’s history, discom officials confirmed.
This new milestone was reached just a day after the city witnessed an all-time high surge in power demand since 2022.
On Tuesday, the city's power demand soared to 7,717 MW, surpassing the previous record of 7,695 MW set on June 29, 2022. This record was broken again hours later at 11.01 pm when the demand hit 7,726 MW.
Responding to the remarkable development, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to social media platform X to announce that the city met the surged power demand without any power cuts.
“Today at 3:42 pm, the peak power demand in Delhi reached 8,000 MW. The Delhi government has met this peak demand without imposing a power cut. This is a great achievement for the people of Delhi,” Kejriwal wrote.
He highlighted the improvement from 2014 when the city faced long power cuts even with a peak demand of 5,925 MW in summers.
Kejriwal contrasted this with the situation in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, where power cuts of 10-12 hours have been reported over the last few days.
“This is the reason why the BJP wants to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party. Because our work shows the truth of their failure to the entire country,” he added.
The extreme heatwave conditions gripping the national capital have significantly driven up Delhi’s power demand. For the fifth consecutive day, the city's peak power demand has surpassed 7,000 MW, breaking the previous all-time May high of 7,070 MW recorded on May 19, 2022.
Discom officials noted that BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) successfully met the peak power demand in their respective areas.
The State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) reported that during April 2024, the peak power demand was higher on 83 percent of the corresponding days compared to April 2023, with a difference of up to 32 percent, underscoring the significant impact of weather on power consumption patterns.
Air conditioning, a major factor in increased electricity consumption, can contribute to 30-50 percent of a household’s or company's yearly energy expense, according to SLDC. With temperatures soaring, residents have turned to air conditioners and coolers, driving up power usage.
Projections by SLDC suggest that Delhi’s peak power demand could reach up to 8,200 MW during the summer of 2024. In BRPL’s areas of South and West Delhi, peak demand is expected to hit around 3,680 MW, while in BYPL’s East and Central Delhi areas, demand could touch approximately 1,860 MW.
To ensure reliable power supply for 50 lakh consumers and 2 crore residents in South, West, East, and Central Delhi, BSES discoms have prepared robust arrangements.
These include long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), banking arrangements with other states, and the deployment of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning for accurate power demand prediction.
BSES is also leveraging approximately 2,100 MW of green power supply, which can be used when needed.
Additionally, BRPL will procure up to 500 MW through bilateral contracts. In the event of unforeseen contingencies, BSES discoms are prepared to purchase short-term power from the exchange, depending on the time-slot, as per SLDC.
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