NAMAKKAL: Monsoon has come to the rescue of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), which is facing constraints in the supply of coal shortage, as power demand fell sharply to 13,000 Megawatt (MW) in the wake of recent rain across the State.
With the weather turning pleasant, the use of appliances like fan, air-conditioner etc., has come down. Besides, several industrial units are yet to get back to the pre-Covid level of operations. As a result, the demand for power has eased considerably.
According to TANGEDCO's distribution data, consumption on Friday was 13,186 MW. It dipped to 13,124 MW on Saturday and 11,405 MW on Sunday. The consumption stood at 12,319 MW on Monday and 13,111 MW on Tuesday. The last recorded peak consumption was 16,845.5 MW on April 10 this year. On average, 14,000-15,000 MW of power is consumed in a day.
TANGEDCO's Director (Distribution) M Sivalingarajan hoped the trend would continue till the North-East monsoon remained active over the State. "During the previous monsoon seasons, the demand slumped to as low as 9,000 MW. With NE monsoon set to begin in a couple of days, the demand should further come down," he told TNIE.
On precautionary measures put in place ahead of monsoon, he said, "We have one lakh poles and 4,000 transformers ready. Further, officials have been told to be alert and monitor transformers as well as live wires. We have started to prune tree branches that can come into contact with live wires during rains."