Have Back-Up Plans: Delhi Metro on Evacuating Passengers In Case Of Total Power Outage in Delhi

New Delhi : As the fear of power supply disruptions looms large in the national capital following shortage in coal supply, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Tuesday said Metro’s operational need accounts for only 2.5 per cent of the total power requirement of the city, and even if there is a total breakdown, passengers can be evacuated from trains and stations using back-up arrangements. Also Read – Govt Making Efforts to Minimize Impact of Power Crisis: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

The statement from the DMRC comes as the Delhi government had last week warned that there may be problem in providing uninterrupted electricity supply to important establishments in the capital including Metro trains and hospitals. Also Read – Explained | Why India Is Facing Coal Shortage And How It Affects Power Supply?

The DMRC said it currently is handling operations and maintenance of over 390 km of network, comprising 286 metro stations, including the Rapid Metro in Gurugram and Aqua Line in Greater Noida, and is ranked amongst one of the world’s largest Metro networks. Also Read – Stock Sufficient: Coal India Says Production Hiked By 27% In April, Ready To Move To Power Plants Immediately

When asked if there will be an impact on the Metro operation due to the impending power crisis, DMRC’s Managing Director Vikas Kumar, told news agency PTI that Delhi Metro’s power requirement accounts for only 2.5 per cent of the total power requirement of the city.

“The DMRC receives around 2 MU electricity from power distribution companies of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Around 0.9 MU power is received from the on-site solar power plant through open access. Further, 0.1 MU is drawn from the rooftop solar power plants installed on Delhi Metro’s stations and depots,” a DMRC spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI.

“Also, in case there is a total breakdown and all grids fail, we have back-up arrangements, like batteries, inverters, DG sets to provide power to system, to evacuate passengers out of trains and stations, but trains won’t operate in that condition,” he told the reporters.

Another DMRC senior official said Delhi Metro’s requirement on an average, per day, is about 200 MW, out of which 99 MW is received from solar power system in Rewa, and another 50 MW from DMRC’s solar power system on rooftops of its buildings, and rest from discoms.

“Solar power can be used only during daytime or in sunny weather, and for after dark, our operational requirements need to be supplemented,” he said.

The DMRC also said it has about 28-29 substations, so even if one substation fails, there are other options. “Generally, a long Metro line has four substations. Even if one of those reports failure, power supply will be made from other substations,” the spokesperson said.

In an emergency situation, DG sets will be used for supplying power to important operation-related tools and equipment such as lights, signalling equipment, lifts and fire fighting load, etc, he added.

As the heatwave conditions continuing unabated, the peak power demand in Delhi rose to 6,194 MW on Monday, the highest ever for the first week of May, officials said.