CHENNAI: TANGEDCO is gearing up to procure additional wind power this year as the state’s demand has been gradually increasing due to summer. A senior official told TNIE that power demand reached a staggering 19,387 MW, with consumption touching 423.785 million units (MU) on Thursday, the highest recorded in the state’s history. It may be noted that power demand stood at 17,563 MW on April 29 last year and the highest consumption was 388 MUs.
“With the temperature on the rise, demand is expected to increase in the coming days. With the union government’s share of 5,055 MW and state-owned thermal stations’ contribution of 3,019 MW along with private power purchase, the power utility has been managing supply,” the official said.
Interestingly, even though there is no dedicated wind season in the state, Tangedco has been gradually getting wind power from available sources, with 1,000 MW being generated each day. On Friday, the utility received 1,385 MW of wind power. The coming wind season from May to November is expected to generate more wind power than the previous years. The official also said Tangedco would utilise natural sources additionally this year.
Another official said the all-time power generation peak of wind energy was recorded at 5,689 MW on July 3, 2022, with an all-time high energy generation of 120.25 MUs recorded on July 9, 2022. During the previous financial year, wind energy generated up to February was 12,368 MUs, with 8,746 MUs being wheeled for captive/third-party use (own industrial purpose). The utility would procure more wind power and encourage small entities, he added.
On condition of anonymity, a Tirunelveli-based wind producer urged TANGEDCO to procure more wind power from smaller entities. He also wanted bills to be settled on time as most wind power generators have been struggling to pay bank EMIs.