Delhi Prepares Comprehensive Plan To Meet 2026-29 Electricity Demand Surge

Delhi's Rekha Gupta Government is developing a long-term plan to prevent blackouts in National Capital as city's peak electricity demand expected to surge in coming years.

At a high-level meeting Friday, Power Minister Ashish Sood ordered officials to draft a detailed Power Master Plan for 2026-29.

Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) officials said they plan to ramp up the city's transmission capacity to 24,000 MVA by 2029, well above the estimated peak demand of 11,000 MVA. But immediate concerns loomed large. Many infrastructure upgrades are delayed, and the city's grid is already nearing its limits.

The meeting, attended by top officials from DTL, the Power Department, and major discoms- TPDDL, BRPL, and BYPL, focused on shoring up the city's overstretched transmission network, which is currently operating at over 90% capacity.

"Why hasn't past expansion brought relief?" Mr Sood asked, as officials explained that upgrades to ageing substations and new installations could bring down the load to 70%, but only if timelines are met.

Two critical substations at Gopalpur and Tikri Khurd, together expected to add 4,000 MVA, have remained stalled since 2022–23 due to delays in bidding and board-level clearances. Mr Sood flagged the inaction, demanding answers for the two-year holdup on projects "central to Delhi's energy future."

Discoms also outlined a ₹1,937 crore upgrade plan involving transformer installations across the city. But all three flagged the same bottleneck- land. Finding space for new infrastructure, especially in congested urban pockets, remains a major hurdle.

To resolve this, the minister directed the Power Secretary to convene joint meetings with MLAs and land-owning agencies like the DDA and MCD to expedite approvals and land allotment.

As power demand continues to climb, driven by hotter summers, growing consumption, and population growth, government agrees that time is short. Plans are finally moving, but whether Delhi can execute fast enough remains the real test.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)