CHENNAI: Despite rains in parts of Tamil Nadu, there were no power outages, Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji said after conducting a review meeting at the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation’s (Tangedco) head office in Chennai on Wednesday.
He added that officials were told to closely monitor the situation round the clock, and said that compared to Monday’s power demand of 14,433 Mega Watt (MW), Tuesday’s reduced to 12,400 MW due to the rains. Of this, Tangedco utilised 4,100 MW of wind energy and 2,280 MW of solar power.
He further said the State generated 12,555 million units (MUs) of wind energy in 2020-21, and 13,120 MWs in 2021-22. As for solar power, 6,115 MUs were produced in 2020-21, and 7,203 MUs in 2021-22.
In 2021-22, as many as 1,17,261 MUs were distributed, which is the highest in Tangedco’s history, he said.
When asked about an annual electricity tariff hike of 6%, the minister merely said he has detailed the proposed tariff at many press conferences. Fixed charges will be cancelled as per the DMK’s election manifesto, he added.
To a question on smart meters, the minister said, “First, digital meters will be installed in all transformers to measure transmission from substations. A detailed project report on this is ready, and a tender will be floated after the chief minister grants approval. After this, installation of smart meters will begin.”