With rising temperatures in northwest India, Ghaziabad electricity department officials estimate that electricity demand in the district has increased by about 44% to 66% compared to the same period last year.
The overall demand for this season has been 1,500 megawatts (MW) to 1,600 MW compared to 1,200 MW to 1,300 MW last year, officials of Pasimanchal Vidyut Vatarn Nigam Limited (PVVNL) said.
“The increase in demand this season has been due to extreme temperatures. This has also led to an increase in local faults and breakdowns, as the high demand puts pressure on the distribution system. We have seen breakdowns and Teams have been deployed, including night patrolling teams, to meet the faults,” said Neeraj Swarup, Chief Engineer (Distribution), PVVNL, Ghaziabad city.
According to officials, there are 40 distribution substations (of 33kv each) in the city areas, while there are 60 substations in the trans-Hindon areas including Sahibabad, Indirapuram, Vaishali etc.
“At Trans-Hindon, we have about 30 minutes of rostering due to increased demand this season. Trans-Hindon demand has increased between 45% and 50% compared to last summer. At this time, we They are meeting the demand of 575 MW as against 400mw,” said another PVVNL official from the Trans-Hindon zone.
Residents said power outages have almost doubled this season due to high demand and localized faults.
“Last year there was an outage of two to three hours a day. But this year the outage is around five to six hours. Due to high temperatures, dependence on air conditioners and inverters has also increased. This has doubled our expenses. are gone,” said Jagal Jeswar, a resident of Shalimar Garden.
Others in the Trans-Hindon region said electricity bills also went through the roof this year. “Last year, my monthly electricity bill was approx. ₹3,000 per month in summer. This year, I paid approx. ₹7,500 due to regular use of ACs and house coolers. Continuous operation of AC is essential. Otherwise, the house looks like a furnace,” said BK Pandey, a resident of Vaishali.