Power demand drops by 1,000 MW as northeast monsoon sets in: Minister Nirmalkumar

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's power demand has declined by around 1,000 MW following the onset of the northeast monsoon, prompting the state to scale down its short-term power purchases to less than 300 MW from an earlier estimate of around 1,000 MW, Electricity Minister R Nirmalkumar said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters after a review of the North East monsoon preparedness meeting at the TNPDCL headquarters, he said the final procurement decision would be taken after assessing the evening peak demand. If rainfall increases and power consumption falls further, the purchase quantum will be revised accordingly.

The state had planned to procure additional 3500 MW power at a cost of upto Rs 37 per unit to meet peak demand and prevent outages. However, cooler weather has reduced the use of air conditioners and other cooling appliances, bringing down electricity consumption.

With the northeast monsoon setting in, the power utility has stepped up preventive maintenance and emergency preparedness to minimise disruptions. Preparatory work has been under way for the past three months, with vulnerable locations mapped and teams and equipment kept ready for repairs, Nirmalkumar said.

The utility has also deployed additional teams in Chennai to attend to faults, particularly during night hours. Seven additional teams have been arranged for the city, while 12 teams will begin night patrols from Thursday to address high-tension power supply faults across 19 distribution divisions in Chennai and its surrounding areas, according to the review meeting.

As part of monsoon preparations, pillar boxes in low-lying areas of Chennai are being raised by one metre to prevent water ingress during heavy rain. Work at locations identified by the Greater Chennai Corporation has been completed, while around 40% of the work at additional locations identified by the electricity utility has been completed, he said.

Additional Chief Secretary and power utility chairman Rajesh Lakhoni, TNPGCL managing director M Govinda Rao, Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation managing director P N Sridhar and other senior officials attended the meeting.