Delhi government’s power infra gap analysis shows 42% transformers aging

Delhi government reviews power infrastructure, highlights 42% transformers over 25 years old, delays in projects, and urgent need for upgrades to meet rising demand.

The Delhi government has identified major gaps in the capital’s power transmission infrastructure after reviewing projects and assets under Delhi Transco Limited (DTL).

Delhi government’s power infra gap analysis shows 42% transformers aging

Officials flagged delays in procurement, repeated cancellation of tenders and ageing transformers that have exceeded their operational life.

Internal assessment found that 78 of 183 (around 42%) power transformers under DTL are more than 25 years old. The report said that while 19 transformers are planned to be replaced in phases, 12 are being taken up for immediately through ongoing schemes.

Power minister Ashish Sood said the government had initiated a comprehensive review of the city’s transmission infrastructure to assess pending projects and condition of existing assets.

“We found that several critical projects related to substations, transformers and transmission lines were delayed for years due to repeated tender cancellations and lack of timely execution,” Sood said.

Officials have been directed to fast-track pending projects and strengthen long-term infrastructure planning to meet future power demand. In Delhi, the peak power demand breaches the 8000MW-mark.

“Delhi’s electricity demand is increasing every year and reliable transmission infrastructure is important for uninterrupted supply. We are reviewing all pending schemes and ensuring that projects move ahead within fixed timelines,” he said.

Assessment found that tenders for procurement of larger capacity transformers were cancelled repeatedly over the last few years.Tenders for 500 MVA transformers were issued four times between July 2020 and January 2025 but dropped each time. Similarly, tenders for 160 MVA transformers were floated five times between September 2019 and November 2024 and dropped.

A tender for 100 MVA transformer floated in May 2022 was dropped and later re-floated in November 2024 before being awarded.

Officials also flagged delay in substation projects under the 14th Five Year Plan (2023-27). Of the 18 planned substation schemes, only the Timarpur project has been commissioned so far. The report said that land is unavailable for six substations, schemes for five are yet to be prepared and four projects are under revision.

It noted that tenders for Gopalpur substation were floated twice in 2020 and dropped both times, with no re-tendering for nearly five years. For Budella substation, tenders were issued seven times before being dropped each time. The project has now been re-floated with an estimated cost of ₹173 crore.

Another review of executed projects over the last five years found that none of the 13 substation-related schemes were completed within the deadline. Eight projects, including those at Gopalpur, Timarpur, Okhla, Kashmiri Gate, Geeta Colony and Vasant Kunj, were delayed by around two years or more.

The report said 13 transmission-line schemes were executed timely during the same period with only two projects recording delay.

An official said the delays also led to significant escalation in project costs. “In several cases, tenders had to be re-floated andthe estimated project cost nearly doubled because of delays and revisions,” the official said.

The assessment also flagged that of the 18 transformers damaged since 2020, 11 failed before completing the 25-year useful life prescribed by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC).

According to the report, five transformers were replaced temporarily using units taken on loan from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL), BRPL and BYPL, while seven were shifted from other DTL substations. One transformer was diverted from an ongoing project.

“No power transformer has been replaced with a new unit in the last five years and stop-gap arrangements were used in several cases to maintain operations,” the official said.

Officials also recorded 45 power outage incidents that lasted for more than one hour. Of these, only six exceeded two hours. One outage at Lodhi Road substation lasted over nine hours, according to the report.

The government has also proposed reconducting 148 circuit kilometres of old 220kV overhead transmission lines using high-performance conductors to improve carrying capacity and reliability. The planned work includes transmission stretches connecting Bamnauli, Najafgarh, Kanjhawala, Bawana, Gopalpur, Patparganj and Vasant Kunj.

The transformer replacement plan includes replacement of old 315 MVA and 100 MVA units across multiple substations, including Bawana, Mehrauli, Naraina, Kashmiri Gate and Paharganj Street.