New Delhi, May 21 -- Delhi is set for a major transformation of its electricity system under the "Mission 2030" plan, which aims to ensure 24x7x365 reliable, economical, safe and quality power supply to every citizen of the national capital by 2030. Speaking to Millennium Post, Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood said the government is working towards building a modern and resilient power infrastructure under the vision of "Viksit Delhi". The plan focuses on improving reliability, safety, and efficiency across the entire distribution network while preparing the system for future demand growth.

Reliability Targets for Power Supply

The government has set clear performance targets for improvement in supply reliability. Average power cuts per consumer per year are proposed to be reduced from less than 3 to less than 1, while total annual outage duration is expected to come down from around 120 minutes to 60 minutes. At the same time, average restoration time at the 11 kV level is targeted to improve from about 45 minutes to less than 30 minutes. The distribution transformer failure rate is also planned to be reduced from 0.53 per cent to 0.25 per cent, indicating a significant push towards improving system stability and reducing disruptions for consumers.

Rising Demand and Existing Power Infrastructure

The capital's electricity demand is projected to rise sharply in the coming years. Peak demand is expected to grow from current levels towards around 11,164 MW under a business-as-usual scenario and up to 13,114 MW under an accelerated "Viksit Delhi" growth scenario. At present, Delhi's network includes 114 grid substations, 7,214 MVA of extra high voltage transformation capacity across 293 units, 7,437 MVA of distribution transformer capacity across 11,161 units, 9,331 circuit kilometres of 11 kV lines, and 15,234 circuit kilometres of low tension lines. Officials have noted that years of under-investment have created stress in several parts of the network, affecting reliability and safety.

Mission 2030 Investment Outlay

Under Mission 2030, the total planned investment is more than Rs.17,000 crore, aimed at large-scale strengthening and modernization of Delhi's power infrastructure. For the financial year 2025-26 alone, Rs.1,426 crore has already been spent, reflecting accelerated implementation of network upgrade works across substations, feeders, and distribution systems.

Infrastructure Upgrade and Modernisation Plan

To address these challenges, the plan proposes large-scale infrastructure upgrades including capacity expansion, strengthening of the distribution backbone, and modernization of last-mile connectivity. It also includes conversion of overhead lines into underground cables in key corridors, shifting from HVDS to LVDS systems in selected areas, and deployment of battery storage and demand response systems. The network is also being upgraded to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure and rooftop solar expansion under schemes such as PM Surya Ghar, along with the rollout of smarter digital services including smart meters, faster connections, and improved billing transparency.

Digital Twin Technology for Smart Grid Management

A major technological upgrade under the plan is the introduction of a Digital Twin system, which will create a real-time virtual replica of the physical electricity network. It will integrate data from GIS, SAP, IoT sensors, smart meters, FRTUs, and outage systems to enable real-time monitoring of grid health. This system will allow faster fault localisation, predictive maintenance, outage forecasting, load flow analysis, and better crew deployment, while also improving customer communication and system planning through scenario-based simulations.

Investment Plan for Hari Nagar Constituency

In Hari Nagar constituency, planned investments include capital expenditure of 170.9 crore rupees during 2016-25, 26.6 crore rupees in 2025-26, and 222.3 crore rupees during 2027-29. The plan includes addition of 102 distribution transformers, 18 circuit kilometres of 11 kV lines, and 62.5 circuit kilometres of low tension lines, along with a business plan expenditure of 144.2 crore rupees and additional schemes worth 104.8 crore rupees. These additional works include undergrounding of 36.8 circuit kilometres of EHV lines and 6.2 circuit kilometres of HT lines at a cost of 49.4 crore rupees, installation of 6 LVDS transformers of 4.7 MVA capacity costing 13.9 crore rupees, installation of 180 motorised RMUs costing 32.2 crore rupees, and deployment of 214 distribution transformer monitoring units costing 28.8 crore rupees.

Transformer Failures and Procurement Issues

Officials also highlighted operational challenges in the system. Since 2020, 18 power transformers have been damaged, including 11 that failed before completing their expected 25-year life cycle. In the absence of new procurement, 5 transformers were replaced using loan units from other utilities, 7 were shifted from other substations, and 1 was diverted from the project department. No new power transformer has been fully replaced in the last five years, despite repeated tenders for 500 MVA, 160 MVA, and 100 MVA transformers being floated and dropped multiple times between 2019 and 2025.

Project Delays and Execution Status

Implementation delays were also noted in infrastructure schemes under the 14th Five Year Plan. Out of 18 substation projects, only one has been commissioned so far, while land is not available for six, five have not yet been designed, and others are under revision or pending tendering. Similarly, out of 24 transmission line projects, only four have been completed, while several are delayed due to land constraints and repeated re-tendering. Officials also noted that repeated delays have led to cost escalation and extended timelines in multiple cases.

Power Outage Performance and Workforce Issues

On system performance, there were 45 instances of outages lasting more than one hour, six instances exceeding two hours, and one major outage lasting 9.28 hours at Lodhi Road substation. Additionally, 31 employees from IPGCL have been working in diverted capacity since 2016, including senior HR officials since 2021, which officials said has impacted administrative functioning and coordination.

Long-Term Investment Plan for Transmission

Delhi Transco Limited's 15th Business Plan for 2027-32 proposes a total investment of 7,795 crore rupees, including 6,886 crore rupees for 2027-32 and 909 crore rupees for 2025-27. The plan focuses on strengthening transmission infrastructure and ensuring a robust 24x7 power supply system for the capital as part of the long-term "Viksit Delhi" roadmap.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.