At 20,744 MW, TN’s summer demand to be highest among southern states; needs Rs 1,000 crore to restore tanks
CHENNAI: Come summer, the state’s power demand is expected to touch 20,744 MW, the highest among southern states. The state’s highest power until now is 19,347 MW, clocked in April 2023.
As per Central Electricity Authority data, the combined power demand of southern states touched 64,337 MW on March 15, 2023, and is expected to reach 68,841 MW this summer. A senior Tangedco official told TNIE as of now, the average power demand stands at 15,000 MW in TN. “With the population boom and increased industrial and commercial activities, the state’s power needs are on a steady rise.”
The power demand on Friday was 15,648 MW while the power consumption was 340.394 million units on Thursday. However, considering the summer needs as well as the parliamentary elections to be conducted in May, the power demand can be higher than usual. Another official said, “We have planned to procure power from private players by signing short-term contracts. But none of the bidders came forward. With no other option, we moved for medium tenders that were floated recently.”
The private players to be awarded the tender will supply 1,000 MW from 6 pm to 12 am daily starting March for the next five years. Besides, we expect that the North Chennai stage III thermal power station with a capacity of 800 MW is likely to commence its operation by the end of the month, he added.
“In addition, Tangedco entered into swap arrangements a few years ago, wherein two utilities or states exchanged power to match the seasonal variations in surplus and deficit situations purely on an energy-to-energy transaction basis without any monetary transactions. Tangedco tied up with Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to meet the morning and evening peak demand,” the official said. With the arrangements, the official assured they would manage the summer power demand without any interruption.
Rs 1,000 crore needed to restore tanks in south TN
Following the recent rain in the southern districts where at least 792 breaches in irrigation tanks had been recorded, WRD officials have come up with a rough estimate of around Rs 1,000 crore for restoring the tanks in Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram districts.
A senior official told TNIE, “As an initial response, the state allocated Rs 10 crore through the State Disaster Management Fund despite the WRD seeking Rs 100 crore. The allocation was utilised to reinforce bunds in all the 792 tanks and their associated channels linked to the Thamirabarani. However, this is only a stop-gap arrangement. A sum of at least Rs 1,000 crore is needed.”
A DPR is being prepared to for this restoration task and will be ready within a week to be submitted to the government. The allocation is expected during the 2024-25 budget session, he added. Another official said, “Several linking channels between the Thamirabarani and the tanks have been severely damaged. So, it is almost impossible for these tanks to attain full capacity.
As of now, we have used sandbags to strengthen bunds and stored 50% water in irrigation and drinking water tanks. Water could be released from these tanks for irrigation in the next season around June. Channels in Koramballam and Kadampakulam in Thoothukudi district, and Neduchankulam Kuthuparai, and Undanikulam in Tirunelveli district, have been severely damaged and have to be restored at the earliest. We are approaching the World Bank to obtain loans for the restoration. We hope to receive funds before April to commence the work.”