Delhi Government has deferred the planned shutdown of the coal-based Rajghat power plant by another six months considering the increased demand for electricity in the summer season. Earlier,the government had decided to close the 100 mw capacity plant by March in tune with its climate change agenda. "We have decided not to close down the plant till October considering the summer season. The decision has been taken to ensure that people do not face any shortage of power supply," said Delhi Power Minister Harun Yusuf. He said the city now has around 4,650 mw of power against the daily consumption of around 3,100 mw which is expected to swell by around 2,000 mw in peak summer months. "The peak demand may go up to 5,000 mw. So we are taking a number of steps to bridge the gap between demand and availability," he added. The peak demand had crossed 4,700 mw during last summer. The city had experienced widescale power cuts during the peak summer months of June and July last year following a mis-match between demand and supply. Yusuf said the under-construction Bawana gas-based power plant is expected to start generation before June and will supply 250 mw of power. "We are trying to ensure that there is no power shortage during this summer," Yusuf said.
