CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday directed officials to strengthen the state’s power infrastructure by establishing 231 new substations at an estimate of Rs 15,032 crore, recruiting 15,058 electricity workers, procuring essential electrical materials immediately and deploying field staff for regular patrol duties. The directions were issued during a review meeting of the Energy department at the secretariat.
A release stated the 231 sub stations are in addition to the 121 upgraded substations currently being established at a cost of Rs 10,109 crore.
Claiming that the state has no power shortage, the release attributed the intermittent power outages in some parts of Chennai and other urban areas to ageing electrical equipment, faults in underground cables, rising electricity consumption, maintenance works and accidental damage to power cables during road excavation works carried out by various agencies.
Further, officials said a WhatsApp-based complaint management system would soon be integrated with the existing platform to help consumers register complaints more easily. The announcements come against the backdrop of sudden spike in power cuts across Tamil Nadu.
Minister for Electricity C T R Nirmal Kumar and TNEB chairman J Radhakrishnan, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
Referring to the Multi-Year-Tariff revision, Kumar told the media the previous DMK government had amended the tariff determination process in 2022. As a result, a mechanism was introduced under which power tariffs could be revised automatically every year based on the Consumer Price Index or at 6%, whichever is lower without the need for a separate government decision.
He said the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission had already laid down guidelines on the extent of the annual tariff revision. Any decision on the matter would be taken after consultations between the chief minister and the finance secretary, and appropriate action would be taken only after obtaining the CM’s approval.
“The government will ensure that any decision is taken in a manner that does not adversely affect the public,” Nirmal Kumar added.