TIRUCHY: With temperature continuing to remain high in June, the power demand in Tiruchy district has touched nearly 550 MW, against the 440 MW recorded during the same period last year, according to TNPDCL officials.
Officials said while demand has fallen by around 50 MW from the peak in May, it remains significantly high compared to last year. According to TNPDCL sources, the demand in the district ranged between 575 MW and 600 MW during April-May before easing slightly.
However, consumption has remained unusually high, with weekday demand last week hovering around 550 MW. IMD data shows that maximum temperature in mid-June last year had fallen to around 37°C after peaking at nearly 40°C in mid-May.
In contrast, temperature this year remained around 39°C after touching 41°C in mid-May, contributing to sustained electricity consumption. “Tiruchy city alone accounts for more than 300 MW of the district’s total power demand.
Air-conditioners are the biggest contributors to the surge in consumption, followed by air coolers and fans,” a senior TNPDCL official said. The official noted that electricity consumption typically peaks between 9.30 pm and 11.30 pm in residential localities such as Thillai Nagar, KK Nagar, Tennur and Cantonment.
Officials said the heavy demand is placing considerable stress on the distribution network across the state. “During peak hours, fluctuations can sometimes lead to jumper cuts and, in certain cases, overloading of substations but every fault is rectified within half an hour ,” the official said.
To minimise disruptions, TNPDCL has deployed seven dedicated maintenance teams with vehicles and field staff across Tiruchy city to promptly attend to faults. The district has 52 substations, many of which in urban areas are operating under heavy load.
“We are gradually augmenting transformer capacity,” the official said. Meanwhile, residents in some rural pockets have complained of frequent power interruptions in recent weeks, with protests reported from villages in Lalgudi and Manapparai.
However, TNPDCL officials denied that these outages were linked to the high demand in Tiruchy city, stating that local technical issues and maintenance works were responsible for the disruptions.
