Delhi Records Highest-Ever May Power Demand At 8,439 MW Amid Heatwave

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Amid scorching heat, Delhi on Monday recorded its highest-ever peak power demand for the month of May at 8,439 MW. According to the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), the peak demand was registered at 3.35 pm. This marked the fourth occasion in the last six days that the city's electricity demand crossed the 8,000 MW threshold, PTI reported.

Also Read | Heatwave to persist across central and northwest India until the end of May: IMD

Discom officials said that during May last year, Delhi's peak power demand had stayed below 8,000 MW. In 2024, the highest demand recorded in May was 8,302 MW.

As a heatwave sweeps the national capital, the demand for power between May 1 and May 25 was higher than the corresponding period last year on 20 occasions, and on 18 occasions in 2024, PTI reported.

Also Read | Heatwave grips India: When will monsoon reach Kerala? IMD scientist says...

Earlier, on April 27, Delhi's peak demand crossed the 7,000 MW mark for the first time in the month, touching 7,078 MW at 3.30 pm.

Delhi recorded its warmest night of May in nearly 14 years on Monday as the minimum temperature settled at 32.4 degrees Celsius, 5.7 degrees above the season's normal.

The last time the minimum temperature was higher in the month was on May 26, 2012, when it was recorded at 32.5 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

On Monday, the maximum temperature was 43.5 degrees Celsius. A BSES spokesperson said that its discoms successfully met the peak power demand, with BRPL and BYPL meeting loads of 3,745 MW and 1,820 MW.

The discoms said that they were fully prepared to meet the growing demand, which is expected to peak around 9,000 MW this year.

BSES discoms are fully geared up to ensure power supply to more than 53 lakh consumers and nearly 2.25 crore residents across areas in Delhi, said the company spokesperson.

Also Read | I stopped doing these 3 things to my AC, and my electricity bill dropped by 30%

A Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) spokesperson said the discom is currently sourcing nearly 1,115 MW of green power as part of its expanding renewable energy portfolio.

In addition, the company has planned procurement of up to 550 MW through short-term bilateral arrangements to effectively manage peak summer demand.

The discom successfully met its peak demand of 2,416 MW, the highest so far this season, without any network constraint or power disruption, she added, as reported by PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)

MENAFN25052026007365015876ID1111165120