New Delhi, March 23 The number of power consumers in Delhi has increased by nearly 40 percent in the last decade, currently standing at over 7.3 million, according to the 2025-26 Economic Survey report presented in the Assembly's budget session on Monday.
According to the report, the domestic category constitutes the highest 84.1 percent of the total consumers, followed by commercial (14.88 percent), industrial (0.37 percent), water works and street lighting (0.31 percent), and others (0.33 percent).
From 2015-16 to 2024-25, the number of electricity consumers in Delhi increased from 52.62 million to 73.61 million, an increase of 20.99 million consumers during this period.
This increase in the number of consumers has led to a significant surge in the city's power demand.
Peak demand increased from 5846 MW in 2015-16 to 8442 MW in 2025-26. The report also noted an average annual growth of approximately 3.15 percent in energy consumption from 2015-16 to 2024-25.
The Central Electricity Authority, a part of the Ministry of Power, Government of India, projected that Delhi's maximum electricity demand would reach 9000 MW by the end of March 2025 in the 20th Electric Power Survey report. However, the actual demand recorded was 8656 MW.
Significantly, the Economic Survey report also highlighted that Aggregate Technical and Commercial Losses (AT&C) in Delhi's power distribution companies (discoms) declined sharply after reforms in the power sector. Losses reduced significantly from 52 percent in the pre-reform era (before July 2002) to 5.90 percent in 2024-25.
AT&C losses refer to the difference between the energy units put into the system and the units for which payment is collected. This does not include losses due to non-payment.
Furthermore, the report stated that by January 2026, there were approximately 21,915 solar installations in Delhi, with a cumulative capacity of 425 MW. During the solar policy period (March 14, 2024 to January 2026), approximately 12,556 installations were completed, adding a cumulative capacity of around 166.71 MW.