Power demand could breach 7,000 MW mark

NEW DELHI: In the midst of an unforgiving heat wave, peak power demand in the national Capital on Thursday touched 6,417 mega watts and is expected to touch 6,525 MW in the next few days.

According to officials of the Delhi Power Department, peak power demand in June may breach the 7,000 MW mark – the highest ever recorded in the Capital.

However, in spite of the high demand, no major power outages were reported in the city, the Power Complaint Cell of Delhi government said. Last year, the peak power demand was recorded at 6,526 MW.

Power distribution companies (discoms) have been directed to avoid loadshedding this summer and if power cuts are absolutely inevitable, they should not be limited to slums and all areas must take turns to face the interrupted power supply, which should not exceed one hour at a time.

However, according to discom officials, some areas are facing temporary power outages due to local faults. In spite of this, power supply is easily restored within 15 minutes.

To tackle the issue of frequent power cuts, the Aam Aadmi Party-led government recently announced that a penalty of Rs 50 per hour per consumer would be levied on discoms for the first two hours, and then Rs 100 for every subsequent hour.

“Smooth power supply with minimum load shedding and 50 per cent power bills by slashed for consumers without any power tariff hike for the last three years are among the achievements of the Delhi government in the power sector,” claimed a Delhi government spokesperson.

In 2014, during its first stint in Delhi, the AAP government had ordered a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of all discoms — Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd — on several grounds including that it has 49 percent stakes in the power distribution companies.