Delhi likely to have 6000 MW winter peak power need; discoms gear up to meet demand

New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) The winter electricity demand of the national capital is expected to peak around 6000 MW, with power discoms gearing up to meet it through tie-ups and a robust dose of renewable energy, officials said on Friday.

This year, in the summer, the city's electricity demand reached a record peak of 8442 MW. This winter, as per projections by the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), Delhi's peak power demand is expected to touch around 6000 MW, setting a new seasonal high, they said.

Last winter, Delhi's peak power demand stood at 5655 MW.

The BSES discoms-BRPL and BYPL- will meet their projected demand of 3900 during winters, with over 50 per cent clean energy sources including solar, wind, hydro, waste-to-energy, hybrid, and rooftop solar, said BSES officials.

The peak winter demand in BRPL and BYPL was 2431 MW and 1105 MW, respectively, last year. This year, they are projected to rise further -- to around 2570 MW for BRPL and around 1350 MW for BYPL, he said.

Reliable power supply hinges on accurate forecasting. BSES uses a combination of advanced statistical models and Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning tools to predict demand with precision, he said.

These models factor in temperature, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, rainfall, and human behaviour (such as holidays or events) for forecasting on multiple time scales -- day-ahead (96 time-slots per day), intra-day, and medium-term (fortnight to one year), he added.

Domain expertise from IMD–POSCO further enhances this system, ensuring optimal scheduling, cost-effective planning, and grid stability. BSES also actively leverages the Real-Time Market (RTM) on power exchanges to balance renewable variability and maintain grid reliability.

"As Delhi braces for another record-setting winter, BSES stands fully prepared to meet the city's energy needs through strategic power planning, extensive renewable integration, robust banking mechanisms, and advanced storage utilization," said a BSES spokesperson.

The Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) has secured adequate power through long-term tie-ups and deployed dedicated teams for continuous monitoring and swift response, said a company spokesperson.

Preventive and condition-based inspections of major substations, feeders, and other critical installations are also being carried out to reinforce system health, she said. PTI VIT DRR