Outages loom as Delhi’s demand for power heads for a summer record

cuts could haunt the national capital this summer as the city’s peak electricity demand is likely to reach 6,600MW, an estimated 5.5% increase from last year’s record, and trigger local faults in the supply network.

Chances of outages increase with the rising power demand as a load surge in the distribution network stresses the system that has a history of breakdowns.

“Local faults occur as the network gets little time to cool down because the power load remains consistently high through the summer,” a power official said on Monday.

The power-hungry city of more than 20 million people has been recording a consistent rise in the demand for electricity, peaking to a record 6,261MW on June 30 last year. It was a first for the peak power demand to cross the 6,000MW mark.

The forecast for this year is 6,600MW, officials said.

The demand goes up as the city’s insufferable summer heat forces residents to use powerguzzling air-conditioners and coolers round-the-clock.

People could brace for a hot summer, if March temperatures are any indication. The city recorded the hottest day of March in seven years on Tuesday, with the maximum temperature touching 38°Celsius, seven notches above normal.

The Capital buys most of its electricity from the National Grid, while three private distribution companies or discoms and Delhi Transco, which handles the transmission network, bring power to homes and facilities.

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