CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's peak power demand has continued to hover around 20,000MW even in October as El Niño conditions contribute to prolonged hot weather. Consequently, the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) has moved to urgently procure up to 3,000 MW during the evening peak and another 1,500 MW between midnight and 2 am to bridge the supply gap this month.
TNPDCL has floated a tender to procure power from private generators within and outside the state from October 12 to 31 through the Union government's Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price (DEEP) portal. The utility plans to procure up to 3,000MW between 6 pm and midnight, when demand is at its highest, followed by 1,500MW between midnight and 2 am. The rates will be known after the contracts are finalised.
The utility is already procuring up to 3,000MW through short-term and power-swap arrangements and buying a similar quantum through power exchanges during peak hours.
"Power requirement has been very high since last month due to the extended summer. Wind generation has considerably declined, and supply from central generating stations has also come down, making power purchases inevitable," a senior TNPDCL official said.
The official said the supply shortage was largely confined to the evening hours, with the state having surplus power during the day due to strong solar generation. If the northeast monsoon sets in by October 20, demand is expected to ease. TNPDCL would then have to take some of its thermal units offline for annual maintenance ahead of next summer.
"If the northeast monsoon is poor, we may have to repeat power purchases in November too," the official said.
On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu recorded 432.6 million units (MU) of electricity consumption, close to the state's highest daily consumption recorded last year. Peak demand stood at 19,921 MW. TNPDCL's thermal plants supplied 80 MU, while central generating stations contributed 83.4 MU. Short-term purchases accounted for 38.5MU and power exchanges for another 36.5MU.
"Peak-hour demand has increased by 3,000MW compared with last year. At the same time, the 3,000MW expected from the central pool is not reaching us. Taking both factors into account, we have floated short-term tenders," said Minister for Energy Resources R Nirmalkumar.
The minister said Tamil Nadu had already procured 4,500 MW from the open market to manage the supply situation and would make additional purchases depending on demand. He attributed the pressure partly to low wind generation and reduced availability from central generating stations.