Delhi's peak power demand at all-time high of 6,998 MW
NEW DELHI: Breaking all previous records, Delhi's peak power demand hit an all-time high of 6,998 MW on Monday afternoon, according to figures presented by the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC).
To meet the unprecedented demand, the two BSES distribution companies, or discoms, in the Capital said they have taken measures, such as long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and banking arrangements with various states, as well as with neighbouring nation Bhutan.
A BSES statement on Monday said that Monday's figure – which broke the previous record of 6,934 MW on June 8 – marks an increase of over 200 per cent over the peak power demand of 2,879 MW in 2002.
"The peak power demand in BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd's area of south and west Delhi, today, clocked 3,031 MW and 1,555 MW in BSES Yamuna Power Ltd's area of central and east Delhi," the statement said.
"The fact that the city's power demand is consistently crossing the 6,500 MW mark shows the robustness of the Capital's distribution and transmission system, which has been able to measure up.
The BSES discoms have invested substantial resources to strengthen the network for taking additional power load during summer months," it added.
According to the discom, BRPL and BYPL have made firm arrangements to source adequate electricity to meet the power demand of its 40 lakh consumers.
These arrangements include long-term PPAs and banking arrangements with other states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Bhutan.
"BSES discoms will get upto 665 MW of power through banking arrangements. Additionally, around 150 MW of renewal energy from Himachal Pradesh and around 20 MW from Rajasthan will further boost the power arrangements.
"In case of unforeseen contingencies because of low generation and outages of power plants, the discoms will purchase short-term power from the exchange," it said.
These PPAs are expected to help BSES tackle issues of low power supply in parts of the city and, as a result, would reduce instances of load shedding.
