The power situation in the city, particularly in South Delhi, continued to remain bad on Thursday with supply being affected from at least two power plants. Meanwhile, the residents in the city heaved a sigh of relief with rain in some parts.
According to Delhi Transco Limited (DTL), the peak power demand in the city on Thursday was 4,544 MW. Several areas in south such as Malviya Nagar, New Friends Colony and other surrounding localities faced power cuts for more than a couple of hours. The DTL spokesperson said that around 11.15 am, the 210 MW Dadri Thermal Power Station stopped production, while around 12 noon, the Nathpa Jhakri plant in Himachal Pradesh also closed down due to excessive silting. As a result, there was a sudden shortfall of around 300 MW, forcing load shedding. Low voltage, transmission and distribution problems and overdrawal from the national grid by other states also led to load shedding. While the Dadri plant was up again by 12 noon, the Nathpa Jhakri was expected to get going by 9 pm.
Even during the night, the situation in many South Delhi areas was bad with tripping reported at frequent intervals. The power companies attributed them to local faults and excess load beyond the sanctioned limit on the system.
Meanwhile, towards afternoon and evening, the weather in the capital took a pleasant turn with dusty winds giving way to drizzle in some places. While in some New Delhi areas around Jantar Mantar, the rain was slightly heavy, in many areas it was just a trickle.