Extreme heatwaves drive Delhi's power demand to record high of 8,647 MW
Jun 18, 2024
New Delhi [India], June 18 : The extreme heatwave continues to push Delhi's power demand northwards. According to the State Load Dispatch Centre data, at 3:22 PM on Tuesday, Delhi's peak power demand clocked 8,647 MW. It is the highest ever in the history of the national capital.
Delhi's peak power demand clocked 8000 MW for the first time on May 22, 2024. Since then, Delhi's peak power demand has crossed the 8000 MW mark on 8 occasions.
Before the records of 2024, Delhi's previous high of 7695 MW was recorded on June 29, 2022.
Last year, Delhi's peak power demand was 7438 MW. Tuesday marks the 30th day in a row when Delhi's peak power demand has crossed the 7000 MW mark. Delhi's peak power demand never crossed 7000 MW during the month of May 2023 and crossed the 7000 MW mark in May only once in 2022.
It is also important to remember that barring last year, when Delhi's demand peaked in August, it usually peaks during late June and early July. But the trend has changed this year. The surge in power demand can be attributed to weather conditions that led residents to use more air conditioning and coolers, leading to an increase in electricity consumption.
The Ministry of Power has also undertaken comprehensive measures to meet the highest ever peak national power demand of 250 GW during the ongoing summer season, amidst challenging weather conditions across the country.
According to a Ministry of Power press release, on June 17, 2024, the Northern Region alone recorded its highest peak demand of 89 GW, which was successfully met despite the prevailing heatwave.
The unprecedented demand in the Northern Region, exacerbated by a prolonged heatwave since mid-May, prompted the Ministry to implement a strategic approach to ensure uninterrupted power supply. Notably, the region managed to meet its peak demand by leveraging inter-regional power imports, accounting for 25 to 30 per cent of the total requirement.
