Govt readies for peak power demand of 13,114MW by 2031

New Delhi: The power master plan of Delhi estimates that the city’s peak demand may rise from around 9,000MW in 2026 to 13,114MW by 2031, pushed by large-scale investments in the Delhi Metro expansion, additional e-buses, electric mobility, healthcare and education. To tackle the huge pressure, Delhi govt has planned to invest Rs 17,000 crore in the next four years to augment the city’s power infrastructure.“Delhi’s power demand is growing at an unprecedented pace under the Viksit Delhi vision. Years of under-investment have stretched the network in several pockets, which have affected reliability, safety and power quality,” power minister Ashish Sood said on Thursday. “To meet the projected demands, we need a large-scale catch-up and modernisation programme across infrastructure, distribution systems and grid automation so that Delhi’s power network becomes future-ready,” he added.According to a demand growth presentation prepared by the power department, the city’s peak electricity demand has been projected under two separate scenarios for 2031. Under the accelerated growth scenario, the peak demand is expected to rise to 13,114MW, while under the moderate growth scenario, it is projected at 11,614MW.The two scenarios are based on different assumptions regarding Delhi’s pace of urban and economic expansion, including growth in public transport networks, infrastructure development, electric vehicle adoption, and overall rise in power consumption across residential, commercial and industrial sectors.Sood said govt had planned a matching infra boost. "We are working on increasing grid capacity, strengthening the distribution network and improving last-mile power network across the capital. We are also working towards converting overhead lines into underground lines in priority corridors and using automation, battery storage and other non-wire alternatives to prepare for the peak.”Govt has planned the Rs 17,000-crore investment to ensure that people get uninterrupted supply even when demands touch an unprecedented peak, the minister said. The investment will be made across all 70 assembly constituencies for which plans are being drawn up, he added.Under Mission 2030 — when BJP will seek re-election in the city — Delhi govt has aimed to take a range of actions for various purposes, such as improving transformer failure rates and restoration time for local faults through automation and network modernisation, strengthening uninterrupted 24x7 supply, stabilising voltage and advance outage alerts.Delhi’s peak power demand has risen sharply since 2019. Govt data shows that after falling to 6,214MW in 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown, the demand went up steadily as economic activities resumed and summers became more intense. Delhi had recorded a peak demand of 7,409MW in 2019. On May 21, 2026, it reached 8,231MW, the highest ever in the first 21 days of May.Govt’s projections estimate that the peak demand will cross 10,000MW by 2028 and rise further to 13,427MW by 2034.