Intense heat pushes Delhi's power demand past 8000 MW

Delhi's peak power demand reached a record 8039 MW on Wednesday, surpassing previous highs, driven by intense summer heat and temperatures reaching 44.5 degrees Celsius.

Prevailing intense summer heat pushed Delhi's peak power demand past 8000 MW on Wednesday for the first time this season, discom officials said.

Real-time figures from the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), Delhi showed that the peak demand touched 8039 MW at 3:35:47 hrs.

The peak demand till May 20 stood at 7,533 MW in 2025 and 7,591 MW in 2024.

On Tuesday, the peak power demand had risen to 7,776 MW in the afternoon before peaking at 7,841 MW later in the day.

Delhi is witnessing intense summer conditions, with the maximum temperature settling at at 44.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Several parts of the city recorded higher temperatures, including Ridge at 45.8 degrees Celsius, Ayanagar at 45 degrees Celsius, and Palam at 44.9 degrees Celsius.

Officials said that between May 1 and May 20, Delhi's peak power demand in 2026 was higher than the corresponding days of 2025 on 15 out of 20 days, and higher than 2024 on 13 out of 20 days.

They said the sharp rise in peak demand this May reflects the impact of an intense and early summer, adding that the city's power demand is expected to cross 9,000 MW this season.

Last year, the highest peak power demand was 8,442 MW recorded on June 12, while the all time high peak demand of 8,656 MW was recorded on June 19, 2024.

The BSES discoms -- BRPL and BYPL -- successfully met peak demands of 3,665 MW and 1,753 MW respectively in their distribution areas, a company spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the BSES discoms are fully geared up to ensure reliable power supply to more than 53 lakh consumers and nearly 2.25 crore residents across South, West, East, and Central Delhi.

Earlier, on April 27, 2026, Delhi's peak power demand had crossed the 7,000 MW mark for the first time ever in April, touching 7,078 MW at 3:30 PM. In comparison, the 7,000 MW level was reached only in May during 2024 and 2025.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited also successfully met the season's peak demand of 2,249 MW across its distribution network in north and northwest Delhi areas, another company spokesperson said.