Tata Power-DDL expects peak power demand of up to 2,150 MW this summer

Tata Power-DDL’s power arrangements include long-term agreements from power plants like Maithon Power, NTPC stations, and Delhi-based gas-fuelled generating stations.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL), the power utility that supplies electricity to a populace of over 7 million in North Delhi, has estimated a peak electricity demand of about 2,150 MW this summer season and made an arrangement for up to 2,400 MW.

As per IMD’s summer forecast 2021, the regions along the Indo Gangetic Plains including Delhi are likely to experience maximum temperatures that will be above normal during May and June. The forecast says that the maximum temperatures can go up to 0.71 degree Celsius over the normal Long Period Average (LPA).

Tata Power-DDL is prepared to meet any increase in electricity demand by the essential service providers amidst the raging pandemic like hospitals, vaccination centres, quarantine centres, pharmacies, labs, water treatment plant, street lights etc. 

The company also believes that the work from home guidelines during the ongoing pandemic will further increase the domestic AC load, leading to a spurt in demand.

Tata Power-DDL’s power arrangements during the summer months include long-term agreements from power plants like Maithon Power, NTPC stations, and Delhi based gas-fuelled generating stations.

Additionally, the company will also be receiving around 20 MW from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), 180 MW from Sun Edison and around 50 MW from wind energy. The company has also supplied up to 200 MW of power to the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu during the winter of 2020 under banking arrangements and the same power shall now be returned by these states to Tata Power-DDL in the summer months of 2021.

Renewable and non-solar power has also been arranged from Himachal Pradesh. Any further requirements will be met through Power Exchange by the company.

Apart from these, Tata Power-DDL is also using advanced techniques and avenues like ‘Banking’, ‘Reserve Shutdown’, ‘Power Exchange’ and ensuring sufficient ‘Spinning Reserves’ towards effective power management. In case of any unforeseeable contingency, the company will buy short-term power from the exchange which is available at economical rates. Adding to these efforts are the advanced load-forecasting statistical and modelling techniques which are helping the company forecast the power demand.

The company’s Battery Energy Storage Systems at Rohini and Rani Bagh will also support in providing continuous and reliable power to key consumers during any exigency in the summer months. These battery energy storage systems get charged during the off-peak hours and discharge the power during peak condition and enable electricity to be stored and then delivered within milliseconds, reducing the instability of the electric grid and enabling additional energy to be captured and delivered on-demand.

Summer peak demand trends in Tata Power-DDL’s area:

• 2021-22: (expected): 2,150 MW
• 2020-21: 1,854 MW
• 2019-20: 2,069 MW
• 2018-19: 1,967 MW

“At Tata Power-DDL we are committed to provide 24×7 power supply to all our consumers. We are expecting the peak power demand to reach 2,150 MW in our area this summer season due to the predicted heatwave and the ongoing pandemic situation. We are fully prepared to provide uninterrupted power supply to several critical and essential service providers to power the collective fight against Corona. To meet the spurt in demand and to ensure uninterrupted power supply, we have done long-term tie-ups amounting to around 2,100 MW and have made other arrangements of up to 300 MW including renewable power tie-ups, through power import banking/bilateral imports with other states,” said Ganesh Srinivasan, CEO, Tata Power-DDL.

Tata Power-DDL has already strengthened its power network by conducting preventive and condition-based maintenance of all critical electrical installations in the months of January and February 2021.