Power demand to hit 9,000 MW, discoms depend on purchases

Delhi's power demand is set to exceed 9,000 MW this summer, prompting distribution companies to implement a ₹17,000 crore infrastructure plan by 2029.

With Delhi’s peak power demand expected to increase this year, power distribution companies in the Capital have drawn summer action plans to meet the anticipated surge.

According to State Load Dispatch Centre data, Delhi’s peak power demand reached 8,442 Megawatt (MW) last year on June 12 and is likely to cross 9,000 MW this summer.

Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood said that no capital investment had been made over the past 10 years to strengthen the national capital’s power infrastructure.

“The government has prepared a Power System Master Plan up to 2029, to be implemented by multiple agencies. Under this plan, capital investment of ₹17,000 crore will be made over three years through Delhi Transco Limited and discoms,” he said.

According to State Load Dispatch Centre data, Delhi’s peak power demand reached 8,442 Megawatt (MW) last year on June 12 and is likely to cross 9,000 MW this summer. The all-time peak demand was recorded at 8,656 MW on June 19 last year and is likely to cross 9,000 MW this summer. The peak power demand is usually seen in the month of June.

A Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES) spokesperson said peak power demand in BSES Rajdhani’s south and west Delhi areas was logged at 3,798 MW in 2025 summer, and is expected to rise to around 3,997 MW this year.

In BSES Yamuna’s east and central Delhi areas, peak demand reached 1,824 MW in the summer of 2025, and is projected to touch around 1,991 MW this year.

According to the summer plan, BSES is relying on long-term power purchase agreements, bilateral and banking arrangements with other states, and deployment of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence for accurate demand forecasting.

“BSES discoms have made power banking arrangements with discoms in Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Manipur and Mumbai. During peak summer months, this can translate into approximately upto 470 MW support from the states,” the spokesperson said.

Around 2,670 MW of green power will play a crucial role in ensuring reliable electricity supply during the summer months in BSES areas. Of this, solar power is expected to contribute about 840 MW, hydro around 572 MW, and power from wind nearly 500 MW.

The spokesperson explained that BSES uses a mix of statistical forecasting models along with state-of-the-art weather forecasting solutions, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

Meanwhile, a Tata Power-DDL spokesperson said their Summer 2026 plan focuses on infrastructure upgrades, capacity expansion, and advanced technologies to ensure reliable power supply during peak demand.

Measures include preventive maintenance, underground cabling, hotline maintenance, and rapid response systems aimed at improving resilience, reducing outages, and enhancing customer experience, while building a scalable, climate-resilient power distribution network, the spokesperson said.

Preventive maintenance activities such as tree trimming, installation of bird guards and silicon sleeves, strengthening of earthing systems, and upkeep of distribution transformers have been carried out to minimise outages, the representative said.

Additionally, enhanced field readiness through quick response teams, along with availability of mobile and spare transformers, will significantly improve response time and overall system resilience, he added.

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