Chennai crosses record 5,000 MW power demand amid outages

CHENNAI: In a first, the capital's electricity demand crossed the 5,000 MW mark on Wednesday night, touching a record 5,014 MW, prompting the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) to resort to brief shutdowns of select distribution transformers in a few localities to maintain grid stability. Though such load shedding was done in the past to maintain grid stability, such incidents were not officially revealed.

The new high of 5,014 MW was registered around 10.30 pm on June 10, bettering the previous high of 4,852 MW recorded on May 22, this year. In 2025, the city recorded peak demand of 4,663 MW on May 14.

However, the unprecedented load on the distribution network led to localised outages at around 10 to 12 locations, particularly in rapidly growing suburban pockets and older parts of the city where infrastructure was under strain.

According to the TNPDCL, one or two distribution transformers in a few expansion areas were temporarily switched off for 20 to 30 minutes following advice from the control centre to ensure feeder load stability at substations. Supply was restored after the brief interruptions.

Minister for Energy Resources R Nirmalkumar monitored the situation from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board headquarters until 2 am on Thursday. Officials said he oversaw operations at Minnagam, the Chennai control centre and the State load dispatch and distribution centres, issuing directions based on real-time reports and consumer complaints.

Among the major glitches rectified during the night were a 500 KVA ring main unit fault and a low-tension cable fault in the Thousand Lights-Jones Road area, as well as a 33 kV cable fault in Medavakkam.

The utility said it was accelerating infrastructure upgrades, including installation and augmentation of distribution transformers, feeder bifurcation, replacement of ageing equipment, renewal of old underground cables and strengthening of emergency fault response systems.

To speed up fault detection and restoration works, additional specialised underground cable maintenance teams from Cuddalore and Nagapattinam have been deployed in Chennai.

Additional Chief Secretary and TNEB Chairman J Radhakrishnan inspected key substations, including the Loyola College 33 kV substation, the Pulianthope 110/33/11 kV substation and the Medavakkam 33 kV substation, during the peak demand period. Discussions focused on load balancing, infrastructure augmentation and improving supply reliability in high-growth areas.

The TNPDCL said time-bound plans were being prepared to address technical bottlenecks and strengthen the network to meet rising electricity demand while ensuring uninterrupted power supply to consumers.