Tangedco meets demand despite coal shortage, fall in wind power

on May 18, but the producers were unable to generate the average of 3,000 mega watts every day due to the rain that lashed the western and southern districts unexpectedly.

Most of the areas with windmills in Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Theni and Coimbatore districts received heavy rain since the start of the wind energy season.

However, the rain resulted in bringing down the power consumption. The demand had peaked to 15,440 mega watts on April 27 itself and it was expected to go up further in May, the hottest period.

But, the demand had decreased due to the rain in most parts of the state, barring Chennai and its surrounding districts. The power consumption went down to about 12,600 mega watts per day, which is about 3,000 mega watts less than the usual demand in the month of May.

However, the Tangedco expects wind power generation to pick up since the southwest monsoon has already set in over Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is expected to reach Kerala soon.

Most of the windmills in the state are located near the Western Ghats and receive a boost during the southwest monsoon season and generate power until September, a Tangedco official said.

He said the Tangedco is receiving 18 wagons of coal from the Centre after Electricity Minister P Thangamani visited New Delhi and sought more allocation of coal with the union Coal Minister.

The power consumption was high from the middle of April and until May second week. The rise in consumption was due to the use of air conditioners during the day time as well since the temperature was soaring. Besides, students staying home during the vacation had resulted in high electricity usage. IPL matches watched by the youth is another reason for the steep rise in consumption.

If not for the rain, the power consumption would have gone up to challenging levels, according to Tangedco officials.