Delhi’s peak power demand reached an all-time high of 8,302 MW on Wednesday afternoon as the city recorded its highest-ever temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius at the Mungeshpur weather station. This historic demand surge is the first time the city’s power consumption has breached the 8,300 MW mark.
Officials noted that power distribution companies had estimated the peak demand to be 8,200 MW this summer. However, the State Load Dispatch Centre, Delhi, reported the record-breaking 8,302 MW demand at 15:36:32 hours on Wednesday. The previous peak power demand was recorded just a week ago at 8,000 MW on May 22.
The prolonged heatwave has seen maximum temperatures in areas like Najafgarh, Mungeshpur, and Narela nearly reach 50 degrees Celsius. Traditionally, Delhi’s power demand peaks during late June and early July, but this trend was broken last year when the peak occurred in August.
A discom official highlighted that air conditioning could account for 30-50 percent of annual energy expenses for households or commercial establishments. Wednesday marked the 12th consecutive day the city’s power demand surpassed 7,000 MW.
Until last year, Delhi’s all-time high peak power demand was 7,695 MW, recorded on June 29, 2022. Last year’s peak was 7,438 MW.
A BSES spokesperson confirmed that BRPL and BYPL discoms successfully met the city’s power demand on Wednesday. He added that around 2,100 MW of green power would play a crucial role in meeting Delhi’s power needs during the summer months. The BSES discoms have invested heavily in network enhancements and conducted extensive preventive checks, including thermo scanning, to identify and address potential hot spots.
The robustness of Delhi’s power distribution network is evident as it has sustained this prolonged high demand. A spokesperson for Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) stated that the ongoing heatwave across North India has significantly increased electricity demand in the national capital. TPDDL successfully met its highest-ever peak power demand of 2,339 MW and has made sufficient arrangements to continue meeting demand.
On Wednesday, Delhi recorded its highest maximum temperature in 79 years at 46.8 degrees Celsius. Some areas experienced extreme conditions, with temperatures soaring to 52.9 degrees Celsius.
Sources By Agencies