CHENNAI: Even as the northeast monsoon continues, the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has started preparations to handle the heavy electricity demand expected next summer, along with the additional load during the Assembly election period.
According to official sources, the Central Electricity Authority’s Resource Adequacy Plan has estimated that Tamil Nadu’s peak power demand may touch 21,959MW next summer.
The state had earlier recorded its highest demand of 20,830MW on May 2, 2024, while the highest daily consumption was 454.320 million units on April 30, 2024.
A senior TNPDCL official told TNIE that the utility is taking multiple steps to ensure uninterrupted supply.
“We have recently signed agreements with 11 companies, including Vedanta, OP Jindal Super and PTC India Ltd, to procure 1,580MW of power from February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2031. In addition, we have requested the union government to allocate 1,500MW extra power to Tamil Nadu in April and May next year, keeping in mind the assembly elections. At present, the state is receiving 6,953MW of power as share from central generating power stations,” the official said.
Highlighting the swap arrangements, another official said that the swap power arrangement is an energy to energy transaction between two utilities without monetary considerations. TNPDCL receives power from other state utilities during peak summer of March and April and returns the surplus power of TNPDCL during the wind season of June to September.
“Under swap arrangements, TNPDCL had received power up to 750MW power from Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, BSES Yamuna Power Limited for the months of March and April 2025. Talks are going on to receive additional power from these states” the official added.
The official pointed out that the utility is also working on strengthening substations and transmission lines in vulnerable pockets especially coastal areas before the next summer. Steps are being taken to ensure that there are no major outages during peak hours.
TNPDCL is also coordinating with the Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited to monitor the availability of power from wind, solar and thermal stations, especially during the election months when the demand is expected to shoot up.
The official noted that early planning is crucial as TN has been witnessing a steady rise in electricity usage every year due to industrial growth, rising temperatures and increased domestic consumption.