CHENNAI: The state’s power consumption touched 462.664 million units (MU) on Saturday. This marks an increase from 460.301 MU recorded on Thursday, indicating a steady upward trend within a short span and the growing electricity demand across the state amid the ongoing summer and assembly elections season.
Officials, however, assured that the grid is stable and capable of handling the current demand. According to the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation’s grid details accessed by TNIE, despite power consumption (462.664 MUs) reaching a new milestone, the power demand stood at 20,461 MW on Saturday.
The previous all-time high was 20,974 recorded on Thursday after a two year gap. A senior official told TNIE, “The rise in consumption is largely driven by the scorching heat conditions prevailing across Tamil Nadu, leading to increased use of cooling appliances such as air conditioners, air coolers and fans. The situation is further compounded by higher commercial activity and agricultural demand in several regions.”
He also noted that the power demand and consumption are expected to increase further in the coming weeks if the temperature continues to remain high, particularly on polling day and election results day.