New Delhi:

Persistent heat wave drove the national capital’s peak power demand today afternoon to 8,647 MW, the highest ever for the city, discom officials said.

The previous highest peak power demand in the national capital was 8,302 megawatts (MW) on May 29 this year. Delhi’s peak power demand reached 8,000 MW for the first time on May 22, 2024, they said.

The extreme heatwave has pushed the city’s power demand northwards, soaring to 8,647 MW at 3:22 pm on Tuesday, according to the State Load Dispatch Centre, Delhi.

Since May 22, Delhi’s peak power demand has crossed 8,000 MW eight times so far, discom officials said.

According to them, the cooling load due to the increased use of air conditioners and other cooling appliances amid the relentless heat wave has led to a record rise in power demand in the national capital.

“It is estimated that air conditioning can contribute to 30-50 per cent of domestic and commercial power consumption,” said a discom official.

Hot surface winds continued to sweep the city on Tuesday as Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius, over five notches above the normal, the IMD said.

The national capital also recorded its highest minimum temperature of this season at 33.8 degree degrees Celsius.

Delhi Power Minister Atishi, in a post on ‘X’, said, “The power consumption in Delhi has once again broken all the records. While the hours-long power cuts are still common in cities of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, Delhi today met the peak demand of 8647 MW without any blackout.” Before the peak power demand records of 2024, Delhi’s previous high reached 7,695 MW on June 29, 2022. Last year, Delhi’s peak power demand was 7,438 MW.

The all-time high peak demand of 8,647 MW on Tuesday was more than 16 per cent higher than that in the 2023 summer.

Discom officials said the fact that Delhi’s power distribution network has been able to sustain the prolonged high power demand shows its robustness.

A BSES spokesperson said the company’s discoms BRPL and BYPL successfully met the peak power demand in their areas on Tuesday. Around 2,100 MW of green power is playing an important role in meeting the summer demand, he said.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), which supplies electricity to North Delhi areas, met the peak demand of 2,446 MW without any glitches, said a spokesperson of the company.

The company has made adequate arrangements via long-term and short-term measures and will ensure seamless electricity supply amid the ongoing severe heatwave in Delhi, she said.

“The TPDDL team is working round the clock to ensure uninterrupted power supply in its area of operation of North and Northwest Delhi,” the spokesperson said.

Except for last year when Delhi’s power demand peaked in August, it usually peaks during the end of June and early July, discom officials said.

The discoms had in their initial estimation of peak power demand for this year’s summer expected it to cross 8,000 MW and reach up to 8,200 MW.

The BSES discoms are geared to ensure reliable power supply to meet the demand of around 50 lakh consumers in South, West, East and Central Delhi, said a company spokesperson.

These arrangements include long-term purchase agreements and banking arrangements with other states, and deployment of the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning for predicting power demand accurately which is critical for ensuring reliable power supply, he added.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

As searing temperatures reaching up to 47 degrees Celsius continue to boil Delhi, the capital’s electricity usage has reached an incredible peak of 8,647 MW today, its highest-ever peak power demand.

According to officials, peak power demand in Delhi reached 8,647 MW at 3:22 pm today.

On May 22, 2024, Delhi’s peak electricity consumption reached 8000 MW for the first time. Since then, there have been eight instances when Delhi’s peak electricity consumption exceeded 8000 MW.

Due to the scorching temperatures outside, Delhi residents are forced to use air conditioners and other cooling devices more frequently than usual, leading to subsequent electricity spikes.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted heatwave conditions in “isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand on 19th June.”

Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions very likely in many parts of Uttar Pradesh whereas heatwave conditions very likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand on 19th June, 2024. pic.twitter.com/OserdyX0Wb

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) June 18, 2024

The national capital is currently under a ‘red’ alert, with the maximum temperature expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius today. 

With inputs from ANI

New Delhi:

The national capital reeled under heat wave conditions for the fifth day on Friday with the mercury soaring to 45.8 degrees Celsius, six notches above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The weather department also said the national capital recorded only two rainy days this May, the lowest in 10 years.

The IMD issued a ‘yellow alert’ for Saturday and predicted generally cloudy skies with the possibility of thunderstorms and dust storms accompanied by light showers and gusty winds at speeds of 30 to 40 kmph.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to reach 44 and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The MeT has four colour-coded warnings — green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).

Friday’s mercury reading is the second-highest maximum temperature recorded by Delhi’s primary weather station, the Safdarjung Observatory, this summer so far.

The MeT said the minimum was recorded at 29 degrees Celsius. The city’s relative humidity oscillated between 38 per cent and 23 per cent during the day.

The city broke its temperature records this month, noting a 79-year high of 46.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to the IMD data.

On June 17, 1945, the national capital noted a maximum temperature of 46.7 degrees Celsius.

On Wednesday, Mungeshpur recorded 52.9 degrees Celsius. The IMD said in a statement that they are examining the sensors and data of the area’s weather station for any potential errors.

However, the weather department has not yet issued any report on the inspection of the sensors in Mungeshpur.

The national capital is also facing water shortage due to the unprecedented summer heat.

This month also saw the least number of rainy days in the last 10 years. Delhi saw only two rainy days this May, compared to 11 in 2023, seven in 2022, 12 in 2021, and seven in 2020.

The average maximum and minimum temperatures in May stood at 41.4 degrees Celsius and 26.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, the weather office said.

According to the IMD, the threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches.

A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal exceeds 6.4 notches.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

As Delhi boils at scorching temperatures reaching up to 47 degrees Celsius, the capital’s electricity usage has reached an incredible peak of 8,000 MW today, its highest-ever peak power demand.

Peak power demand in Delhi reached 8,000 MW at 3:42 pm today, according to officials.

The subsequent spikes in electricity use reflect the searing heatwave in Delhi, which has led residents to use air conditioners and other cooling devices more frequently than usual.

A ‘red alert’ has been issued in the city by the Meteorological Department for the next three days.

According to the seven-day forecast, Delhi’s maximum temperature will be around 44 to 47 degrees Celsius.

The Delhi government has ordered all schools to start summer vacations with immediate effect.