COIMBATORE: While power outages have increasingly become commonplaces in Coimbatore city and suburban areas, TNPDCL officials have clarified that the outages are not because of power shortage but rather due to interruptions triggered by winds and weather conditions.
Several areas in Coimbatore district have been facing continuous power interruptions for the last one week, affecting routine life.
The chief engineer of TNPDCL’s Coimbatore region said the interruptions were caused by tree falls and line damage triggered by strong winds and weather conditions. "There is no load shedding or shortage of supply. All outages were due to technical faults caused by trees falling on power lines during windy conditions," he said.
Residential areas in Vadavalli in North circle and Ramanathapuram and Sungam in the Metro circle reported intermittent supply for the past few days. Public alleged that power supply is cut off for a maximum of 10 minutes.
With the onset of the southwest monsoon, gusty winds have led to branches snapping and hitting overhead cables, officials said.
Field teams have been deployed round-the-clock to attend to faults and restore supply, said a senior official from the Coimbatore Metro circle.
The officer said major feeders were functioning normally and asked the public not to panic.
"The power cuts are not because of demand surge. In fact, the department is handling the surplus power supply. The demand for Metro circle was beyond 400 megawatt per day a month ago, which has now dropped to 380 megawatt per day. However, we did conduct regular maintenance, including cutting of tree branches over power lines for more than four months due to board exams and the Assembly election. This has now turned into a major problem with the changing weather. Falling of tree branches triggers small breakdowns, which are being restored by the staff immediately," the officer said.
The officer also suggested the installation of an MCB that protects wiring and appliances from overload and short circuits, and an RCCB that protects from electric shock caused by earth leakage.
A senior official said pin insulators and a few other parts on the distribution network were made of peengan (ceramic material), which are usually damaged when the climate changes, particularly when the weather shifts from extremely hot to cold. The officer said that usually, pin insulators are damaged in the middle of the year when the climate changes from summer to monsoon. "It will continue for at least 10 days and once we change the damaged parts, the issue will be fixed," the officer said.
People can report issues to Minnagam at +91 94987 94987, which handles electricity-related issues.
