Delhi's Power Demand Reaches 5,462 Megawatts, Highest This Season

Delhi's peak power demand surged to 5,462 MW at 3.27 pm on Wednesday - the highest recorded this year so far, according to data from the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC).

This was a sharp rise from Tuesday's peak of 5,029 megawatts (MW).

Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood said the city's peak power demand could touch 9,000 MW this season.

"In line with our focus on reliability, we've asked the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to review all power purchase agreements to enhance procurement efficiency," Sood said. He also highlighted the establishment of a joint control room with Delhi Transco Limited and discoms for real-time load monitoring and infrastructure protection.

Power distribution company BSES recently said that it was fully prepared to meet the escalating demand and has made extensive arrangements to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to nearly two crore residents across the city.

BSES has secured 2,100 MW of green energy, including 888 MW from solar power plants, 546 MW from hydroelectric sources, 500 MW from wind energy, and 40 MW from waste-to-energy plants.

In addition, around 197 MW will be sourced from rooftop solar panels installed by consumers within the BSES network.

BSES has entered into long-term power purchase agreements and will avail up to 500 MW through power banking arrangements.

The company is leveraging advanced forecasting models, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and weather forecasting technologies, including support from IMD-POSOCO (Power System Operation Corporation Limited), to accurately project power demand based on temperature, humidity, wind, and rainfall data.

According to discoms, Delhi witnessed an all-time high power demand of 8,656 MW in 2024.

The city's power demand crossed the 8,000 MW threshold for the first time last year and has been steadily rising, since breaching the 7,000 MW mark in 2018.

Compared to 2002, when the peak demand was 2,879 MW, this year's expected peak represents a threefold increase.

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