MADURAI: Summer rain that brought respite from the searing heat to people in Madurai city also brought relief to power managers as demand eased in May. Tangedco (Madurai city) comprises 6.5 lakh connections, including 5.5 lakh domestic consumers.
According to Tangedco officials, the peak power demand was 293.11 MW in the month of May, as against the 318.80 MW last year. Officials attributed reduction in use of electrical appliances including ACs as reason for the dip in demand.
According to data shared by Tangedco (Madurai), in April 2025 the power demand peaked at 302 MW, but fell to 293.11 MW on May 5. The demand remained less than 300 MW for the month of May.
Speaking to TNIE, a top official from Tangedco (Madurai) said,"Since the load demand is always higher in urban areas in summer season, we had prepared a plan. In Madurai metro circle, many feeders have been installed to share the load from existing feeder lines. The average peak power load for January- March 2025 was 240 MW. The load hit a high of 302.50 MW on April 24."
But, nature had a different game plan. "Pre monsoon rain in Madurai district brought in cool climate. as a result of which the power demand did not cross 300 MW throughout the month."
CITU-Tangedco Staff Union secretary (Madurai) P Arivazhalagan said,"Several people did not use air conditioners due to rain, which reduced the power demand."