Delhi's peak power demand clocks summer's highest at 6,612 MW

The sizzling heat on Monday pushed the peak power demand in the national capital to 6,612 MW, the highest so far this summer, as the maximum temperature settled at 40.6 degrees Celsius, leading to a surge in the use of air conditioners and coolers.

Delhi's peak power demand reached 6,612 MW at 3.23 pm which is the highest so far this year , said a spokesperson of BSES discoms BYPL and BRPL.

"The air conditioning load is the main reason for the increase in the power demand during summer months. Almost around 50 per cent of Delhi's power demand during the summer months is because of the cooling load of air conditioners, desert coolers and fans," he said.

Delhi's peak power demand during the summers of 2019 may clock 7,400 MW. Last year, it breached 7,000 MW for the first time - peaking at 7,016 MW.

Peak power demand in the BRPL's area of south and west Delhi, which had reached 3,081 MW during the summers of 2018, is expected to touch around 3,200 MW this year. In the BYPL's area of east and central Delhi, the peak power demand, which had reached 1,561 MW last year, is expected to touch around 1,640 MW this time, he said.

"It is interesting to note that Delhi's peak power demand is substantially more than that of other cities. It is not only more than the power demand of Mumbai and Chennai put together but also thrice than that of Kolkata," the discom spokesperson said.