ICTS 2026: Ready to handle expected power load for EV charging, says Delhi discom

New DelhiDelhi’s power distribution network is ready to handle the expected rise in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, with charging demand projected to reach around 700MW by 2030, an official for the power distribution company, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), said at the India Clean Transportation Summit (ICTS) 2026 on Wednesday

New Delhi

Delhi’s power distribution network is ready to handle the expected rise in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, with charging demand projected to reach around 700MW by 2030, an official for the power distribution company, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), said at the India Clean Transportation Summit (ICTS) 2026 on Wednesday.

Pradeep Agarwal, general manager of BSES, said that Delhi’s EV count could increase by over sevenfold by 2030, following the implementation of mandates under the Delhi EV Policy 2.0. The projected EV demand of 700MW would account for around 3% of Delhi’s total electricity demand, he said.

“Considering the implementation of all the mandates as per the new EV policy of Delhi, the vehicles in Delhi are expected to increase from around 4.7 lakh now to about 35 lakh by 2030. These vehicles are expected to consume around 700 megawatts per day, which is a small percentage of the total demand and can easily be managed,” Agarwal said.

He said BRPL, which caters to almost half of Delhi in terms of load, currently has a sanctioned EV load of 155MW—against a peak demand of 3,960MW—accounting for about 3-4% of the total load. The distribution company (discom) is also exploring measures to optimise charging demand during peak hours.

Agarwal said residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) would need to plan charging infrastructure alongside the increase in EV ownership. Round-the-clock charging, he said, applies where consumers already have parking space, and that RWA premises can also avail of charging facilities.

“Community charging spaces need to be identified,” he said, adding that parking availability remains a key constraint, as only around 10% of Delhi residents have parking at home.

He said RWAs would also need to secure fire safety clearances and strengthen building infrastructure, including ventilation, cooling, motor capacity and transformers, as EV adoption rises.

Agarwal said that charging patterns could also help manage demand. He said that EV charging during winter largely complements the discom’s load, with full charging timings between 10pm and 2am and intermittent charging between 2pm and 5pm. During summer peaks, demand-response measures, including time-of-day tariffs and controlled charging, could help shift consumption to off-peak hours, he said.