Delhi's peak power demand at new high of 8656 MW, day after creating record

Unprecedented heatwave spells in the national capital and adjoining regions are pushing the power infrastructure to their edges

Delhi’s peak power demand surged to an all-time high on Wednesday at 8,656 MW, surpassing the previous record created a day before.

On Tuesday, the national capital’s peak power demand was recorded at 8,647 MW.

Unprecedented heatwave spells in the national capital and adjoining regions are pushing the power infrastructure to its edges. The consumption of electricity has increased significantly due to an uptick in residential cooling as people are forced to use air conditioners and coolers to deal with the abnormally high temperatures.

Yesterday, the national capital logged the warmest night as the minimum temperature was recorded at 35.2 degrees Celsius, which is eight notches above normal.

This highest minimum temperature was logged at Delhi’s primary weather station, Safdarjung, for the month of June as the highest in the last 55 years.

On June 11, one of the power plants supplying electricity to Delhi caught fire due to being strained by the demand. Parts of the national capital, including central Delhi housing ministries, faced up to two hours of power cut on June 11 afternoon after the Mandola sub-station on the Delhi border caught fire.

Today, the city is expected to log a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius.

Northwest India has been under the grip of intense heatwave conditions, logging at least 40 degrees Celsius of maximum temperature for most days in the last month. This makes the ongoing heatwave spell the worst since 1951.

At least five deaths have occurred due to the heatwave in Delhi in the last 72 hours alone.

A brief respite from the situation is anticipated as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the possibility of light rain showers in the city in the coming days.

Pre-monsoon showers due to southwesterly winds in the next three or four days may arrive in Delhi, bringing relief from the scorching heat.