CHENNAI: After the Covid-19 lull, power consumption in factories and commercial establishments has shown a slight rise of 4% and 2% respectively over the last two years. This necessitates developing infrastructure like new substations and transformers in line with future demand.
According to data from Tangedco accessed by TNIE, factories consumed 33.77% of power and commercial establishments used 9.50% of power generated by the power utility in 2020-21. This rose to 37.88% and 11.09% respectively in 2022-23. Agriculture has also played a significant role, utilising 13.69% of power generated in the last fiscal year.
A senior official told TNIE, “With rising population and growing need of commercial establishments, the demand for electricity continues to rise. Currently, the power utility serves 3.31 crore consumers, with nearly 5 lakh to 7 lakh new connections added annually. However, acquiring land for new power infrastructure poses challenges in various districts.”
Notably, in major cities like Chennai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore and Madurai, reluctance from residents to accommodate transformers and high-tension power lines in residential areas due to perceived fire and electrocution risks hampers progress. Instead, the power utility is identifying government-owned lands (Porambokku lands).
Another official said, “There are 779 substations (33/11kv) crucial for transmitting power from substations to consumers. The power utility planned to construct 102 new substations at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore a couple of years ago. But, the land identification process is yet to be completed.”
Legal adviser of BMS union (electricity wing) R Murali Krishnan has suggested to focus on agricultural and hut connections, emphasising the installation of meters for accurate power consumption measurement. He said, “The state has 24 lakh electricity connections for agriculture and 10 lakh for huts. Offering free electricity connections is the government’s responsibility, not Tangedco’s, as the utility operates under company law.”
While the state government provides subsidies for this service, it’s not efficiently managed. To prevent revenue loss, Murali Krishnan proposed meter installation to calculate every unit of power consumed accurately.
In response, a senior official said the utility had initiated meter installation for agricultural connections as per the central government’s directives, but had to abandon the idea due to political reasons. Therefore, a decision by the government is necessary on this matter.