CHENNAI: Even as power demand keeps rising in Tamil Nadu, the state has managed to build only 39 new substations in various voltage levels like 765kV, 400kV, 230kV, 110kV and 66kV in the past three years.
In 2021 the former electricity minister (V Senthil Balaji) had announced that the government would build 216 new substations of various capacities.
According to the policy note of the Energy department for 2025-26, the total number of substations in four voltage categories (765kV, 400kV, 230kV, and 110kV) increased from 1,063 in 2022 to 1,102 by March 2025. Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) Chairman and Managing Director J Radha Krishnan said that setting up new substations depended on the financial situation of the board, and acquiring land, especially for 400 kV substations, has become a major challenge. Nearly 15 acres of land is needed for 400 kV substations. He said that despite the challenges, the department has managed to get land in delta districts and also in Ambattur for 400 kV substations.
He added that land has also been identified in Sengipatti near Thanjavur and a few other locations. “We are planning to build 71 new substations in the coming months as part of the centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. In the first phase, we will require an amount between Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 1,500 crore,” he said.
R Sethu Madhavan, a retired professor from Anna University, said with the state is planning to increase its renewable energy capacity, it is important to have enough number of substations, without which new renewable energy projects will be affected.
E Natarajan, state general secretary of the Bharatiya Electricity Engineers Association (BEEA), said TN needs about 20 new substations every year to meet its growing demand of power. He said the state seems to be adding only 10 new substations a year, which is not adequate.
“The state is a leader in wind and solar power. But without proper infrastructure, green energy cannot be fully used,” he said, stressing on the need for investing more in power infrastructure to help TN become a $1 trillion economy by 2030.