New Delhi: With temperatures rising earlier than usual, the city’s peak power demand is likely to cross the 9,000MW mark for the first time this summer, said officials. Last year, it touched 8,442MW. Referring to the expected demand, power minister Ashish Sood said, “We are preparing the system accordingly. Every assembly constituency has been mapped, and new transformers, circuit breakers and other asset augmentation are being planned.”The three distribution companies — Tata Power Delhi, BSES Rajdhani and BSES Yamuna — have also begun preparations to ensure uninterrupted supply during the peak demand months.Delhi’s demand rose sharply over the past two decades due to rapid urbanisation, population growth and higher use of cooling appliances. Touching 2,879MW in 2002, it first crossed 7,000MW in 2018 at 7,016MW and continued to climb up. “Based on current growth trends, the peak demand could cross 10,000MW by 2028-29,” said an official.Sood said one-year and three-year roadmaps were prepared “to make Delhi’s power infrastructure modern and future-ready”.The BSES discoms cover south, west, east and central Delhi. While the peak demand in BSES Rajdhani areas is projected to increase from 3,798MW last summer to 3,997MW this year, BSES Yamuna areas could see it rise from 1,824MW to 1,991MW.To ensure reliable supply to nearly 2.3 crore residents, BSES may secure around 470MW through long-term purchase agreements, bilateral arrangements and banking arrangements with utilities in other states. Around 2,670MW of green power will also help, said an official.In north and northwest Delhi, Tata Power Delhi, which supplies to around 90 lakh residents, expects its peak load to reach 2,622MW this summer against 2,410MW in 2025. It has made arrangements for up to 2,900MW through a mix of long-term contracts, bilateral agreements and power exchanges. Battery energy storage systems at Rohini will provide backup support during contingencies.
