NEW DELHI: Delhi’s power demand has surged to unprecedented levels this December, driven by plummeting temperatures, discom officials said on Monday.
The city recorded a peak demand of 5,213 MW at 10:50 am on Tuesday, crossing the 5,000 MW-mark for the first time in December’s history. On Monday, the demand had reached 5,046 MW.
In comparison, the December peak demand stood at 4,884 MW in 2023 and 4,964 MW in 2022, highlighting the significant rise this year. Discom officials attribute this to Delhi’s trend of record-breaking power demands during extreme weather conditions, as seen in the summer, when it hit an all-time high of 8,656 MW. This winter, Delhi’s peak power demand is projected to exceed 6,300 MW.
A BSES spokesperson stated that green energy sources would meet up to 53% of the 3,900 MW peak demand in areas served by BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL). Advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning tools are being employed for accurate demand forecasting and efficient management.
So far this season, BRPL and BYPL have successfully managed peak demands of 2,194 MW and 1,038 MW, respectively, within their jurisdictions. Officials predict these figures could rise above 2,600 MW for BRPL and 1,240 MW for BYPL as temperatures drop further.