Sweltering Heat in Delhi Pushes Peak Power Demand to All Time High of 7,409 MW

New Delhi: The sweltering summer heat in Delhi pushed its peak power demand to an all-time high of 7,409 MW on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

The power discoms had earlier predicted that the demand will cross 7,400 MW this summer in Delhi.

The website of the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) showed the peak power demand of 7,409 MW at 3.35 pm.

The peak demand reached 7,241 MW on Monday. Last year, it was 7,016 MW on July 10.

The BSES discoms - BRPL and BYPL met the all-time high peak power demands of 3,159 MW and 1,686 MW in their respective areas, said its spokesperson.

"Cooling load is the main reason behind the increase in Delhi's power demand. In fact, according to estimates, almost 50 per cent of Delhi's power demand in summers is due to the cooling load comprising air-conditioners, coolers and fans," the spokesperson said.

The Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) registered 2,074 MW of peak demand as Delhi hit highest ever level of 7,409 MW, said a TPDDL spokesperson.

"This summer, the peak demand in Delhi is increasing with each passing day. We are expecting the Delhi peak demand to touch 7,500 MW and TPDDL's to cross 2,250 MW in the coming days," said TPDDL CEO Sanjay Banga.

The peak demand in Delhi registered 250 per cent growth by crossing 7,400 MW, as compared to 2,879 MW in 2002.

The BSES spokesperson said the phenomenon load growth in Delhi has been possible on the back of an advanced distribution network and a massive reduction in aggregate technical and commercial losses.

Delhi's peak power demand is more than the power demand of Mumbai and Chennai put together, and thrice than that of Kolkata, said the discom spokesperson.

The discoms have made adequate arrangements including long term power purchase agreements to meet the rising demand, he said.

"We have made adequate arrangements of up to 2,500 MW, along with contingency planning, through long-term tie-ups and power banking arrangements, and upgraded network to ensure regular supply," Banga said.

Arrangements have been firmed up by BSES discoms to source adequate electricity to meet the power demand of over 42 lakhs consumers, said the BSES spokesperson.

These arrangements include long term purchases and banking agreements with other states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Manipur and Sikkim, he added.