CHENNAI: The daily power demand in Tamil Nadu has fallen from 15,000 MW to around 13,000 MW following widespread rains across the state.
According to data from Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (Tantransco) accessed by TNIE, the power demand stood at 12,825 MW at 7.50 am on Saturday, compared to 13,553 MW recorded on Friday. Power consumption was 295 million units (MU) on Friday.
A senior official said power demand for agriculture has reduced by nearly 50% over the past two weeks due to the rains. “The usual demand for agriculture ranges between 1,000 MW to 1,500 MW. This drop is due to farmers depending on rains instead of irrigation pumps,” he explained. He further added that the use of home appliances such as air conditioners and fans has declined as temperatures have fallen, contributing to the reduction in demand.
Highlighting operational challenges, another official explained, “Although we aren’t utilising full capacity, all thermal units remain active. Shutting them down is avoided as it takes 10 hours to restart them.”
With IMD forecasting heavy rain in the coming days, officials said power demand is unlikely to increase till the end of the month.