It has been an unusually hot May this year, but light rains in the past few days have brought some respite for Delhiites.
Delhi’s power distribution system has withstood the first test, but it is still a long way before the Aam Aadmi Party government can claim to have passed the summer test.
Delhi power minister Satyendra Jain in an interview to Rediff.com contributor Upasna Pandey, says that discoms will be able to cater to the peak power demand of up to 6,500 MW, provided residents cooperate by reducing peak time usage.
Excerpts from the interview
What is the plan for meeting the power needs in summer?
There is no need for alarm over shortage of power supply. We have an estimate of peak demand reaching around 6200-6400 MW and the three distribution companies have assured that they have arranged around 6500 MW, which is adequate. There are issues of the distribution network not being robust, but we are monitoring it. There should not be any intentional power supply disruptions. There is also a study of peak hour usage, and we will issue directions to ensure we can scatter the demand, which varies between very low demand to as high as 5,800 MW on a given day. We find that use of air conditioners in the peak hour of 2-5pm is one of the biggest elements of power demand. If the power demand can be scattered over peak and non peak hours, we can ensure the peak demand does not cross 6,400 MW.
There are reports of issuing public advisory on use of air conditioners and washing machines during peak hours. How would this help?
We have to ensure we minimise power outages, which can be a result of local faults or distribution network failure. We need residents to cooperate on use of washing machines that can be avoided during peak hours every day (between 2-5 pm), as well as reduce air conditioner usage. It is better than having total breakdown and long blackouts. We are studying peak hour consumption and all government offices and departments will also be directed to reduce peak hour power usage. We are going to launch a helpline that will be able to inform Delhiites on the type of outage in an area, whether it is planned or unplanned.
Do you think Delhi residents will agree to the idea of reducing power usage during peak hours and will an advisory, incentive or penalty work?
We plan to incentivise peak and non peak hour usage and the idea is to enroll residents for helping flatten the peak hour demand, it is not about issuing directives only. I am confident that Delhiites will see the point in this.
The discoms have given assurance on the power availability but how confident are you?
The kind of capital investments that should have happened over the years to ensure we have a robust distribution network have not been done. So there isn't sufficient confidence in the distribution, but we will be monitoring it. We want to ensure there are no unplanned and long power cuts for any reasons. We need to flatten the power load.
What is the status of audits on the discoms?
The audits of the discoms are still on and I recently met the deputy Comptroller Auditor General. We are following this up and await the reports for taking further steps.
In her ‘confidential’ letter to the LG, Delhi Chief Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin has reportedly questioned you on not reacting to the Letter of Comfort (LOC) issued to the discoms in April this year?
Since this is all out in the public domain now, I want to only say that I have written my comments to which she did not respond, so there is no question of me not raising a flag on the issue. If she had any concerns, she should have reached out to me. Instead, she chose to write to the Lieutenant Governor.
It is clear that private companies are calling the shots. I had also written to the CM around 20-22 days ago urging him to relieve Ms Gamlin.
How difficult is it for the government to function in the backdrop of the confrontation with the LG over jurisdiction?
It is obvious that the LG has made everything difficult and the entire ambience of smooth governance has been vitiated by the ongoing confrontation. We are the elected representatives of the people of Delhi and we should be allowed to function smoothly.
What is your expectation from power discoms?
We expect that the power demand will be met by the discoms in an efficient way, without any major incidents of breakdowns and failures. There needs to be sincere intention from the discoms on ensuring this.
