Delhi's peak power demand shatters previous record, touches 8,748 MW
New Delhi, June 29
Delhi recorded its highest-ever peak power demand on Monday, with electricity consumption touching 8,748 MW at 3:17 pm, surpassing the previous all-time high of 8,656 MW recorded on June 19, 2024, according to the State Load Dispatch Centre.
The latest peak is 92 MW higher than the previous record and 306 MW above the highest demand recorded in 2025, when the capital's peak power demand touched 8,442 MW on June 12, 2025.
BSES discoms said they successfully met the peak demand in their respective distribution areas, with BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) supplying 3,906 MW and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) meeting a peak demand of 1,876 MW.
According to SLDC data, Delhi's peak power demand crossed the 8,000 MW mark for the third time in June this year, after touching 8,434 MW on June 10 and 8,296 MW on June 11 and 8,748 MW on June 29.
The data further showed that between June 1 and June 29, the capital's peak power demand in 2026 exceeded the corresponding days of 2025 on 22 out of 29 days or nearly 76% of the days.
SLDC projections indicate that Delhi's peak power demand is expected to cross 9,000 MW during the current summer season.
According to BSES officials, the discoms are fully prepared to ensure reliable electricity supply to more than 54.4 lakh consumers and nearly 2.25 crore residents across South, West, East and Central Delhi.
They said the preparedness measures include long-term power purchase agreements, bilateral tie-ups, banking arrangements with other states and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)-based demand forecasting to accurately estimate electricity load.
BSES officials also said around 2,670 MW of green power, including solar, hydro, wind, pumped storage plants, rooftop solar, hybrid renewable sources and waste-to-energy generation, will contribute to maintaining a reliable electricity supply during the summer months. They added that a 20 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Kilokri will help maintain grid stability during peak demand.
Additionally, BRPL will also procure power through bilateral contracts under a season-ahead procurement plan, while BSES discoms will procure short-term power from the exchanges depending on the time slot in case of unforeseen contingencies.
According to the officials, BSES also uses advanced statistical forecasting models integrated with weather forecasting inputs and AI and ML-based analytics to improve demand forecasting and optimise power procurement while ensuring reliable electricity supply.
BSES has also started actively utilising the Real Time Market on the power exchanges, which helps in balancing renewable energy supply and maintaining grid stability.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Impressive numbers but I remember last summer when some areas faced voltage fluctuations. Hope BSES is actually prepared this time. AI-based forecasting sounds fancy, but ground-level implementation matters more. Let's see how it works during actual heatwave conditions.
Yaar, every summer same story - peak demand records. But at least this time they are mentioning green power and Battery Energy Storage. The 20 MW BESS at Kilokri is a small start. We need gigawatt-scale storage to really handle these peaks. Still, progress is progress. 👏
Good management by BSES so far. But why is demand increasing so sharply every year? Because of more ACs, more data centers, more everything. We also need demand-side management - like giving incentives for people to use appliances during off-peak hours. Otherwise, we will keep chasing new records forever.
Impressive grid management! The use of Real Time Market on power exchanges is a smart way to balance intermittent renewable energy. Kudos to the engineers working behind the scenes. Also good to see they have long-term PPAs in place to avoid last-minute price spikes.
One small criticism - the article says "successfully met the peak demand" but many people in my area (West Delhi) faced 2-3 hour power cuts last week during peak hours. Maybe overall numbers are fine, but distribution at local level needs improvement. Still, appreciate the transparency about their AI/ML systems.
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