Priyanka Tiwari
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With summer temperatures climbing sharply in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has blamed the current administration for mismanaging the power system, resulting in prolonged outages across the national capital.
“In the last ten years, we worked hard to fix Delhi's electricity system. It takes years to build but only days to damage,” Kejriwal wrote on X, taking a direct dig at the state government.
Electricity Demand Surges to Season Highs
Delhi's electricity demand peaked at 5,462 megawatts (MW), leading to several hours of power outages in multiple areas. This comes as a stark contrast to 2024, when under AAP’s administration, the demand had touched 8,500 MW with no reported blackouts.
On Wednesday, power demand hit 5,090 MW at 12:31 PM, the highest so far this season. A day earlier, it was 5,029 MW at 3:30 PM. Officials expect this figure to continue rising in the coming weeks as the weather heats up.
The city’s all-time peak electricity demand—8,656 MW—was recorded in June 2024. This year, forecasts suggest the demand may hit 9,000 MW during the peak summer.
Rising Heat Driving Increased Power Usage
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi has seen a notable rise in minimum temperatures. Today’s minimum was 25.6°C, about 5.6°C above normal. Maximum temperatures are expected to hover between 39–41°C, further increasing reliance on air conditioners and cooling devices.
Discoms on Alert for Peak Summer Load
BSES discoms—BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL)—are preparing to manage electricity supply for over 50 lakh consumers and 2 crore residents across key zones of Delhi, including South, West, East, and Central areas.
As the city braces for rising temperatures and increased energy consumption, efforts are underway to ensure uninterrupted supply despite infrastructure strain.
