Power demand of the national capital surged to the season's highest so far to 5464 MW on Tuesday night, amid an intense heatwave gripping the city, discom officials said.
Pushed by the sweltering heat and resumption of commercial and industrial activities, Delhi's peak power demand has also increased by over 32 per cent since easing of lockdown restrictions on May 18, they said on Wednesday.
As per Delhi's State Load Dispatch Centre figures, the peak power demand of the city was recorded at 5464 MW at 11.20 pm on Tuesday.
"This is the third consecutive day when Delhi's peak power demand pipped last year's peak on corresponding days," the officials said.
Delhi's peak power demand clocked 5464 MW on Tuesday night, the season's highest. It is marginally more than the peak power demand (5236 MW) recorded on May 26, 2019.
On May 24 and 25, at 5286 MW, and 5385 MW, respectively, Delhi's peak power demand was higher than last year's peak power demand of 5094 MW and 5107 MW on corresponding days.
The BSES discoms BRPL and BYPL successfully met the peak power demand of 2542 MW and 1174 MW respectively with overall demand peaking at 5464 MW on Tuesday night, said a BSES spokesperson.
The other discom Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) too met successfully met peak demand 1556 MW in its distribution areas, said a spokesperson of the discom.
Delhi recorded the hottest day in May in the last 18 years on Tuesday, with the maximum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory rising to 46 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature is expected to again hover around 46 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
"Soaring temperature and heat wave are the main reasons behind the spurt in demand. The peak demand in TPDDL areas is expected to touch 1930 MW in the coming days," said the TPDDL spokesperson.
The discom has made adequate arrangements of up to 2500 MW of power to manage the growing demand, he added.
Delhi's peak power demand, which went down by around 49 per cent in past two months of COVID-19 lockdown, was gradually picking up due to the summer heat and resumption of commercial and industrial activities. It is expected to touch 7500 MW level in July, surpassing last year's peak demand 7409 MW.
Arrangements have been firmed up by BSES discoms to source adequate electricity to meet the power demand of over 44 lakh consumers. These arrangements include long term PPAs and banking arrangements with other states, said the BSES spokesperson.