CHENNAI: With summer heat rising and power demand going up across the state, many residents in Chennai and its outskirts are facing power cuts and frequent voltage fluctuations. While the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has been taking measures to augment the supply on a par with the increasing demand, the distribution infrastructure at times fails to keep up.
In the past few days, areas such as Medavakkam, Vengaivasal, Vignarajapuram and Santhoshpuram in South Chennai have reported repeated outages. Residents said the situation has caused inconvenience, especially since it occurs during peak daytime hours. A few days ago, a technical fault in an electric pole at Vignarajapuram led to a power cut for nearly three hours in the afternoon. Power supply was restored around 5 pm after officials from the electricity board attended to the issue.
M Suresh (38), a resident of Vignarajapuram, said such incidents were not new. “Last summer, a transformer suddenly sparked and caught fire. Now, we have seen an electric pole failure. The authorities should focus on improving the infrastructure,” he said.
Residents have urged the state-run power utility to take preventive steps and strengthen the distribution network to avoid such disruptions during the peak summer.
S Lakshmi (42), a resident of Medavakkam, also criticised Minnagam — the centralised call centre for electricity-related complaints — stating that attempts to contact the helpline at 9498794987 to report power cuts were unsuccessful. “We tried calling several times, but could not get through. At times, the line was busy,” she said, adding that these issues should be addressed on a priority basis at least until the end of summer.
A senior official from TNPDCL said that power demand in Chennai and its outskirts is around 3,600 MW from March to June. The city has been witnessing an annual increase of about 6% in demand, with officials expecting a new record in power consumption within a week.
“To meet the rising demand, we have commissioned seven 33 kV substations and added 20 transformers in and around the city in the past few years. Around 5,000 old electric poles have also been replaced. Some more projects are in the pipeline,” the official said.
He added that underground (UG) cable works are yet to be completed in some areas. Once the pending works are finished, power cuts, voltage fluctuations and infrastructure faults can be reduced. Efforts are also on to identify low-voltage areas.
Another official said the unexpected rise in power demand due to increased use of induction stoves has also added pressure on the system. “Due to irregular LPG supply, power load in domestic and commercial sectors has been increasing,” he said.
E Natarajan, state general secretary of Bharathiya Electricity Engineers Association, said power demand remained lower last year due to summer rains. “This year, power consumption crossed 444 million units on Saturday, which is the highest so far this season. The all-time high is 454 million units recorded on April 30, 2024,” he noted.