Discoms augment distribution infrastructure for faultless power supply in summers

With the peak power demand of Delhi expected to cross 7,400 MW this summer, the power discoms have resorted to capacity addition, besides augmenting infrastructure, for faultless supply of electricity to their customers.

Strengthening their networks, the BSES Yamuna Power Limited(BYPL) and the BSES Rajdhani Power Limited(BRPL) have made capital expenditure of over Rs 800 crore in this regard, a BSES spokesperson said.

"In 2018-19, the BRPL invested Rs 525 crore and BYPL Rs 300 crore to ramped-up the network capacity by around 750 MVA. They also installed (new) and augmented around 600 distribution transformers and laid over 650 km of cable to strengthen the network," he said.

Extensive predictive checks like thermo-scanning have been used to identify potential faults and take remedial measures. War rooms and deployment of quick reaction teams are there to assist in tackling exigencies, he said.

The discoms are also working in tandem with generation and transmission companies to ensure that the entire generation, transmission and distribution system is aligned to meet the summer load.

The peak power demand in south and west Delhi, covered by the BRPL, is expected to reach 3,200 MW this summer. In the BYPL territory of east and central Delhi, the peak power demand is expected to be around 1,640 MW.

Other measures to ensure smooth supply of power during the coming months include load balancing at sub stations and deployment of additional manpower, mobile transformers, call centres and war rooms to receive and redress customer complaints, the spokesperson said.

To prevent outages due to digging by various agencies, they have been urged to provide prior information to the discoms so that damage to underlying cables can be prevented, he said.

"For the benefit of the civic agencies and resident welfare association, BSES has launched 'Dial-n-Dig', dedicated 24x7 helplines, for BRPL (south and west Delhi)," the BSES spokesperson said.

In case of outages or any other urgency, a consumer can reach out to the BSES in a number of ways, through call centres and toll-free numbers (19122, 19123) as well as via social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, he added.