Delhi's peak power demand reaches 6,194, highest ever in May 1st week: Report

Discom officials said the previous highest peak power demand in the first of May in the national capital was recorded at 5,808 MW on May 2, 2019.

As a heatwave swept across most parts of north and central India, including Delhi, the peak power demand in the national capital on Monday soared to 6,194 MW - the highest ever for the first week of May.

On Monday, May 2, 2022, Delhi's peak power demand was recorded at 3.34 pm, touching 6,194 MW, according to the real-time data of the State Load Dispatch Centre. (HT Photo)

According to a PTI report that cited officials, the power demand had surpassed the 6,000 MW-mark for the first time in April, and remained the same on several days during the last week of the month as the maximum day temperature rose above 40 degrees Celsius in almost the entire north, northwest and central India.

On Monday, Delhi's peak power demand was recorded at 3.34 pm, touching 6,194 MW, according to the real-time data of the State Load Dispatch Centre. On Sunday, the demand was 6,048 MW.

“The previous highest in the May first week was recorded at 5,808 MW on May 2, 2019,” a discom official said.

Last week, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) relaxed many provisions pertaining to short-term power purchase to enable discoms in the city to obtain the available power without any loss of time. The three discoms in the capital - TPDDL, BRPL (BSES Rajdhani Power Limited) and BYPL (BSES Yamuna Power Limited), have anticipated a significant spike in power demand in their regions of supply this summer owing to the brutal heatwave.

Last year, TPDDL's demand was 2,106 MW. This year, it may reach up to 2,350 MW. Meanwhile, the demand of BRPL was 3,118 MW last year and 1,656 MW of BYPL, estimated to reach 3,500 MW and 1,800 MW this summer, respectively.

Overall, Delhi's power demand is expected to exceed 8,200 MW during the summers of 2022, the PTI report added.

This comes amid Delhi government's claim that the city is facing coal shortage amid nationwide power crisis. On Friday, Delhi's power minister Satyendar Jain said that if power plants shut down, it will be “problematic (in Delhi)”. The following day, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also raised an alarm, saying that the electricity supply in the capital is being managed by his government.

“This problem is faced by the whole country due to coal shortage,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Soon after, the Centre said there was “enough” power supply for Delhi. In a statement, the power ministry said that the distribution companies of Delhi will receive “as much power as requisitioned by them as per their demand”.

Delhi on Monday recorded a maximum temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, according to IMD data.

(With agency inputs)