NaMo gets it wrong on Delhi power

Delhi-ites asked for 13,112 MUs of electricity between April and August, got 13,067 MUs, a gap of 0.3%, the lowest-ever in national capital

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi may have succeeded in garnering the audience’s applause in claiming that Delhi-ites asked for electricity but did not get any. But his claim falls flat when verified against facts.

Delhi-ites asked for 13,112 million units (MUs) of electricity between April and August this year and got 13,067 MUs, a gap of 0.3 per cent, the lowest-ever in the national capital, according to the latest data from the Central Electricity Authority.

During the same period, the national deficit was five per cent. Gujarat, however, has a deficit of six MUs. “20,000 megawatt (Mw) is stranded because there is no coal.”

Modi seems to have got it partly correct. While 18,000 Mw is stranded nationally, it is based on gas, not coal. However, 25,000 Mw of coal-based capacity is running on low plant load factor of less than 60 per cent.

During hours of peak demand in Delhi, observed during mornings and evenings, the city received a power quantum of 5,653 Mw against a demand of 6,035 Mw, recording a power deficit of 6.3 per cent. This was the same as the national average deficit during the same period.