Power demand hits record high in Delhi amid rising mercury

As Delhi grapples with extreme heat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has extended the yellow alert for the city until Wednesday, warning of continued heatwave conditions. With temperatures soaring past 40°C in several parts of the city, this April is shaping up to be one of the hottest recorded in over a decade.

IMD scientist Dr Naresh Kumar stated that while Delhi-NCR will continue to experience heatwave conditions for the next two days, some relief is expected after 48 hours. “There’s a possibility of light rainfall in Delhi on April 11, and scattered showers are also expected across the Himalayan region over the next 4–5 days,” he said.

Delhi’s maximum temperature is projected to reach 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with the minimum hovering around 22 degrees. Safdarjung recorded a minimum of 22.4°C — two degrees above normal— while Palam logged 25.2°C, five degrees above the seasonal average. Both stations saw a two-degree increase in minimum temperature within 24 hours.

Looking ahead, Delhi is expected to see a partly cloudy sky on Wednesday, with temperatures ranging between 23°C and 40°C. Thunderstorms are predicted on Thursday and Friday, bringing a slight dip in temperature—39°C and 37°C, respectively.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s electricity consumption has surged with the soaring mercury. On Tuesday, the city’s peak power demand reached 5029 MW at 3:30 PM, the highest of the summer season so far. Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL), which supplies electricity to North Delhi, met a peak demand of 1585 MW on Tuesday.

“Tata Power-DDL successfully met today’s peak demand without any disruptions,” said a company spokesperson. “Our robust power arrangements, including long-term tie-ups and deployment of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at Rohini, ensured uninterrupted supply amid soaring temperatures.”

Delhi