New Delhi: The summer season has arrived in Delhi with unusual intensity this year, clearly reflected in the city’s surging power consumption, with the month of April mirroring peak summer demand patterns. For the first time, the capital’s power demand has breached the 7,000 MW mark in April, touching 7,078 MW at 3.30pm on Monday, according to State Load Despatch Center (SLDC) data. This surpasses the previous April record of 6,650 MW, recorded just a day ago, on April 26. Officials said digital monitoring of power demand was part of the reform process that began around 2001–2002 with the creation of Delhi Transco Limited and discom privatization. This is the earliest in the year that such a high demand has been recorded in the city. The contrast with recent summers is stark. Delhi’s power demand had first crossed 7,000 MW in July 2018, while in 2024 and 2025, the figure was reached in May. This year’s early spike reflects a pronounced shift driven by intense heat and rising cooling needs across households and commercial spaces. Data for the first 27 days of April highlights how 2026 differs from previous years. Peak demand was higher than April 2024 on 19 days. Compared with April 2025, demand was higher on 13 days. The second half of the month saw a pronounced surge, crossing 6,000 MW on six consecutive days — significantly higher than the one day in April 2025 and none in April 2024. Delhi is in the grip of a heatwave, with temperatures touching 42.3 degrees Celsius Monday, making it the hottest April day in four years. The early onset of such extreme conditions has sharply increased cooling loads. A power department official said the trend signals an advancing summer. “The demand surge reflects not only higher temperatures but also longer and more frequent heatwave spells. With May and June still ahead, we expect peak loads to climb. 2026 could emerge as one of the most energy-intensive summers in recent years,” he said. April 2026 peak power demand has diverged sharply from the past four years, with demand crossing 6,000 MW on at least six days — April 22 to 28, peaking near 6,650 MW. In contrast, between 2022 and 2025, demand rarely touched 6,000 MW, with most peaks staying below 5,800 MW. BSES and TPDDL said they have managed the surge without disruption, successfully meeting peak loads of 3,159 MW and 1,446 MW in their respective areas. “To meet today’s challenges, BSES uses a mix of advanced statistical forecasting models, combined with state-of-the-art forecasting solutions and domain expertise provided by IMD-POSCO. These analytics help build models which lead to high accuracy planning and efficient management of electricity demand,” a senior BSES official said. TPDDL said it has made adequate arrangements through bilateral agreements, reserve shutdown mechanisms and participation in power exchanges to maintain supply. Power minister Ashish Sood said there would not be any issues as Delhi government had power-purchase agreements in place to ensure uninterrupted supply.
