Heatwave pushes Delhi's electricity needs; capital records country's highest power demand at 6,361 megawatt

New Delhi: With the mercury rising in the national capital, the peak power demand shot up to 6,361 megawatt this afternoon, the highest ever recorded in the city. This is also the highest peak power demand in any city of the country. The previous record of 6,261 megawatt on 1 July last year is also held by Delhi. [caption id=“attachment_3521071” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] According to the power department figures, the peak power demand was 6,361 megawatt at 3.06 pm. This is 12 percent more than the peak power demand of 5,673 MW recorded on the same day last year. Yesterday, as the maximum temperature soared up to 44.6 degrees Celsius, four degrees above the normal, the peak power demand was 5,775 MW at 11.06 pm. The peak power demand in the capital this year, breached the 6,000 megawatt mark in May at 6,021 megawatt, second highest this year on 17 May. The power distribution companies have expected the peak demand this year to be around 6,600 MW. The hot summer months this year have pushed the peak power demands to set new records, with April registering the highest ever demand for the month at 5,685 MW which was 18 percent more than the peak power demand of 4,797 MW in the same month last year, an official of electricity distribution company BSES said. In March, the peak power demand in the city crossed the 4,000 megawatt mark for the first time ever, he said. The peak demand of Delhi, even at the 6,000 megawatt level is three-fold of Kolkata (2,100 megawatt) and about 60 percent more than that of Mumbai (3,700 megawatt). While it is four times that of Chennai and Himachal Pradesh, it is two and half times more than that of the entire northeastern states in the country, the BSES official said. The power distribution company has made arrangements including long power purchasing agreements (PPAs) and banking arrangements with other states besides strengthening distribution network for ensuring uninterrupted supply to its consumers during the peak summer, he said.