Delhi govt asks DERC to review power purchase agreements amid power cut row

Power Minister Ashish Sood on Friday said the Delhi government has asked the DERC to review the power purchase agreements (PPAs) of discoms in the national capital under Section 108 of the Electricity Act.

The announcement comes amid a political row over power outages, with AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal alleging that the city's power situation has worsened under the new government.

"We had set up the power system in Delhi with great difficulty, we had worked very hard. And we kept an eye on it daily. There was no power cut anywhere for ten years. These people have made the power situation worse in just one and a half months," he posted on X on Thursday.

 

The former chief minister also reshared posts alleging power outages in various parts of Delhi, including Burari and Jagatpur Extension.

Dismissing Kejriwal's claims as "misleading," Sood asserted that the reported disruption in Jagatpur Extension was a localized issue.

He accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief of spreading misinformation, pointing out that planned maintenance-related power cuts occur every year as part of the Summer and Winter Action Plans.

"The data tells the real story. In the last year alone, there were 21,597 power cuts lasting over an hour. On average, that's 59 outages per day," said Sood, sharing statistics from the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC).

He further stated that 3,278 instances of power cuts were recorded in January 2025 alone.

Challenging Kejriwal's assertion that there were no power cuts during his tenure, Sood posted on X, "You are tweeting from Punjab while making claims about Delhi's power supply."  Addressing a press conference, the BJP leader also shared detailed data on power cuts over the past year.

There were 2,660 instances in January 2024, 2,881 in February, 2,745 in March, 1,567 in April, 676 in May, 605 in June, 602 in July, 690 in August, 1,531 in September, 1,852 in October, 1,000 in November, 1,510 in December and 3,278 in January 2025, he said.

Sood asserted that these figures contradict Kejriwal's claims of uninterrupted power supply during his government's tenure.

The minister said that the government had prioritized assessing Delhi's electricity preparedness since taking charge.

He said the city's peak power demand this summer is expected to reach 9,000 MW, necessitating a thorough review of existing agreements with the power distribution companies (DISCOMs).

"As part of our commitment to ensuring an uninterrupted power supply, we have asked the DERC (Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission) to scrutinize all power purchase agreements. This will help optimize procurement and address any inefficiencies," he said.

Sood also highlighted the establishment of a joint control room in coordination with Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) and DISCOMs to monitor power loads in real time.

This initiative, he explained, will allow the authorities to detect overburdened feeders, prevent infrastructure damage and redistribute loads efficiently.

The minister assured the government is working proactively to ensure a stable electricity supply in the coming months.

He also revealed that permission has been sought from the Centre to procure electricity from the unshared power schedule if necessary.

Reiterating the government's focus remains on strengthening Delhi's electricity infrastructure, Sood said, "We are taking data-driven decisions, not indulging in politics. Our priority is to ensure that people of Delhi get a reliable power supply this summer.