Warmer September pushes power demand in Delhi to record-breaking levels

An "exceptionally" warm September this year saw a record-breaking power demand in Delhi.

New Delhi: An “exceptionally” warm September this year saw a record-breaking power demand in Delhi, discom officials said on Tuesday.

The peak power demand of the city exceeded the September 2022 levels on 80 per cent of the corresponding days, according to State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) data.

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In fact, Delhi’s peak power demand clocked 6,993 megawatts (MW) on September 5, 2023, the highest ever for the month of September, the officials said.

Last year in September, the highest peak demand was 6,687 MW.

“Delhi’s unusually hot weather was reflected in the city’s peak power demand, which remained consistently high in comparison to the similar period last year for the last couple of months,” an official said.

Also, only once has the peak power demand in Delhi dropped below 5,000 MW this September, he said, adding that it happened on a third of the days in the month last year.

August too witnessed a similar trend and except for one day, Delhi’s peak power demand surpassed August 2022 levels every day, the official added.

A BSES spokesperson said next-generation technologies like SCADA enable the discoms BRPL and BYPL to ensure reliable supply.

“Innovative solutions and capacity additions have equipped BSES to address Delhi’s power demand during extended summer months with around 700 transformers (and sub-stations) added and augmented in 2022-23,” he said.

Over 1,500 MW of green power is also playing an important role in powering the city in the BSES area, he added.

According to SLDC data, Delhi’s peak power demand clocked the season’s high of 7,438 MW on August 22. Since 2012, Delhi’s peak power demand has always clocked the season’s highest in June and July.

Moreover, Delhi’s peak power demand never crossed the 7,000 MW mark in August previously, but it did so this time on four occasions this year, the discom officials added.