New Delhi: In response to widespread power outages reported across several parts of Delhi last year, the Delhi government has initiated the process of framing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to effectively manage major electricity disruptions and ensure quicker restoration of supply in the future, officials said on Thursday.
The move follows a series of large-scale outages that impacted lakhs of consumers in 2024. In August, several areas in north Delhi, including Civil Lines, Rohini, Shalimar Bagh and Kashmiri Gate, were affected after a sudden load drop of nearly 550 MW in the incoming supply from the 220 kV transmission grid.
A similar situation arose in June 2024 when multiple localities across northeast, east, central, south and north Delhi experienced power cuts following a fire at a power grid substation in Mandola, Uttar Pradesh, which disrupted electricity flow to the capital.
Officials said the need for a structured response mechanism was discussed during a review meeting involving Delhi Transco Limited (DTL), the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) and the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). The meeting examined the causes of the north Delhi outage and highlighted the absence of a unified protocol to handle such large-scale failures.
Subsequently, the issue was taken up in a meeting of Delhi’s Operation Coordination Committee (OCC) last month, where it was decided to constitute an expert committee to draft the SOP. The committee will include representatives from various government agencies, including power distribution companies, transmission utilities and system operators.
According to officials, the SOP will outline preventive measures to avoid outages similar to those witnessed in north Delhi, clearly define response mechanisms in case of failure of key power infrastructure, and set timelines and responsibilities for faster restoration of supply. The objective is to strengthen coordination among multiple stakeholders and enhance the overall reliability and resilience of Delhi’s power system.
Once constituted, the expert committee is expected to submit the draft SOP within one month. The document will take into account technical, operational and logistical aspects of power transmission, distribution and system recovery. After review and discussion by the OCC, the SOP will be finalised and implemented.
Officials said the proposed framework is aimed at minimising the impact of future power disruptions on residents and ensuring a swift, coordinated response during emergencies, particularly during peak demand periods.