Dikshit’s power push begins with the basics

Cornered by the Opposition and resident welfare associations over the city’s rickety power infrastructure, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit allocated Rs. 513 crore in her budget, mainly for the construction of sub-stations to ensure a better transmission and distribution system.

Cornered by the Opposition and resident welfare associations over the city’s rickety power infrastructure, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit allocated Rs. 513 crore in her budget, mainly for the construction of sub-stations to ensure a better transmission and distribution system.

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Dikshit seemed keen to avoid a repeat of a crippling power failure last July that had been sparked by the collapse of the northern grid. She said that the power department had submitted a proposal to the Union government, calling for the “islanding” of Delhi, a move that would ensure that the Capital is cut off from the grid in case of a collapse and electric supply from other sources continues.

"A proposal was submitted to the Union government and is under implementation," Dikshit said.

With the power demand set to soar and cross the 6,000MW this summer, Dikshit said the government had been able to meet the peak load of 5,642 MW so far. “The per capita consumption of electricity is much higher than the national average. We have still been able to deliver a peak load of 5,642 MW,” she said, adding that a bigger spike in the demand will be similarly handled.

Her government is planning to increase the transformation capacity to 16,000MVA.