Delhi govt asks discoms to boost infra to meet rising power demand during summer

New Delhi, Jun 12 (PTI) Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday directed discoms (electricity distribution companies) to strengthen their infrastructure in view of the rising power demand in the national capital which has been sweltering under severe heatwave conditions for the past several days.

Delhi recorded its highest peak power demand of this summer on Thursday afternoon. The real-time figures of the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) showed the peak demand was 8,423 MW at 3.06 pm.

On Thursday, Delhi saw the maximum temperatures soaring up to 45.2 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD has also issued 'red alert' for the city till June 13, advising advising people to stay hydrated, avoid direct sunlight, and limit outdoor activity.

Sood held a review meeting with senior officials from the Power Department and all three power distribution companies in view of the increasing electricity demand in the city, said an official statement.

He also instructed that in case of power outages due to natural calamities like strong winds, heavy rainfall, falling trees, or other unforeseen causes, the response time for restoration must be minimised to ensure uninterrupted and seamless power supply to consumers, the statement added.

Following the meeting, Sood said all power companies in Delhi have been directed to further strengthen their infrastructure to address the growing electricity load.

He emphasised that considering weather forecasts for the coming days, power companies must remain fully prepared.

The minister also instructed power companies to replace old power grids in their respective areas, lay new cables, and adopt new technologies for power generation and distribution, it said. Sood emphasised on the need to set up systems that can instantly detect faults and enable prompt resolution by response teams. In addition, he directed power companies to conduct data analysis for better efficiency.

During the meeting, Sood also urged power companies to accelerate efforts in the solar energy sector. He noted that, given Delhi's rising power demand, it is important to adopt solar energy.

He asked power companies and the Power Department to actively encourage every electricity consumer in Delhi to install solar panels. He also stressed the need to make serious efforts to supply electricity through solar panels in areas where conventional electricity meters cannot be installed, the statement said. PTI SLB HVA