Prior planning, transmission infra upgrades helped Delhi meet peak power demand: Officials | Delhi News

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2 min readNew DelhiJul 1, 2026 03:40 AM IST

A day after Delhi met its highest-ever electricity demand of 8,748 MW, officials said on Tuesday, that securement of additional power supply through advance procurement and strengthening of key transmission infrastructure, including the replacement of ageing hardware played a key role in the city meeting the record demand without breakdowns.

Officials said that the peak power demand was met without encountering any major grid failure or supply disruption despite an ongoing heatwave. The record peak power demand was logged at 3:17 pm on Monday

According to officials, months of advance planning, including power-banking arrangements with other states, bilateral purchase agreements and green energy tie-ups, ensured adequate electricity was available during peak hours. Simultaneously, upgrades to transmission lines and the replacement of obsolete equipment improved the resilience of the Capital’s power network.

Meanwhile, Power Minister Ashish Sood said Delhi was prepared to meet any further rise in demand. “Yesterday, Delhi faced its toughest test yet. Our city’s power demand shattered all historic records, hitting a massive 8,748 MW at 3:17 pm. While the extreme heatwave pushed our infrastructure to its absolute limit, the grid held rock-solid. The lights stayed on, and homes stayed cool because we planned for this months in advance,” he said.

Officials said the latest peak surpassed the previous record of 8,656 MW, recorded on June 19, 2024, demonstrating the strengthened transmission and distribution network ahead of this summer.

According to officials, the government had expanded its procurement strategy by securing additional power well before the onset of peak demand, while upgrades across the distribution system were aimed at reducing the risk of transformer failures and local outages during periods of high consumption.

Further, officials added that the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) is monitoring the grid in real time and expressed confidence that the Capital would be able to manage demand even if it crosses the 9,000 MW mark in the coming weeks.

Devansh Mittal is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in the New Delhi City bureau. He reports on urban policy, civic governance, and infrastructure in the National Capital Region, with a growing focus on housing, land policy, transport, and the disruption economy and its social implications.

Professional Background

Education: He studied Political Science at Ashoka University.

Core Beats: His reporting focuses on policy and governance in the National Capital Region, one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world. He covers housing and land policy, municipal governance, urban transport, and the interface between infrastructure, regulation, and everyday life in the city.

Recent Notable Work

His recent reporting includes in-depth examinations of urban policy and its on-ground consequences:

An investigation into subvention-linked home loans that documented how homebuyers were drawn into under-construction projects through a “builder–bank” nexus, often leaving them financially exposed when delivery stalled.

A detailed report on why Delhi’s land-pooling policy has remained stalled since 2007, tracing how fragmented land ownership, policy design flaws, and mistrust among stakeholders have kept one of the capital’s flagship urban reforms in limbo.

A reported piece examining the collapse of an electric mobility startup and what it meant for women drivers dependent on the platform for livelihoods.

Reporting Approach

Devansh’s work combines on-ground reporting with analysis of government data, court records, and academic research. He regularly reports from neighbourhoods, government offices, and courtrooms to explain how decisions on housing, transport, and the disruption economy shape everyday life in the city.

Contact

X (Twitter): @devanshmittal_
Email: devansh.mittal@expressindia.com … Read More

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