CHENNAI: Amid continuing complaints of power outages and preparations for the upcoming northeast monsoon, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay made a surprise visit to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) headquarters on Anna Salai and inspected power generation, transmission and distribution control centres on Wednesday.
Vijay directed the officials to ensure uninterrupted and reliable power supply and to take immediate action on complaints relating to power cuts, voltage fluctuations and damaged electricity poles and wires. The CM reviewed preparations to meet the anticipated increase in power demand during the summer of 2027 and discussed measures to ensure adequate availability.
Electricity Minister C T R Nirmal Kumar, who met reporters after the CM’s visit, said that field officers have been permitted to engage up to 18,000 contract workers directly to address power-related issues expeditiously.
Tamil Nadu would additionally require around 600 new substations to strengthen its distribution network, which would be established in phases over the next five years, he said. Up to 6,000 transformers would be installed or upgraded to meet the power demand, the minister added.
The CM’s review focused on critical distribution network challenges, including ageing infrastructure, network congestion, major outages, and poor power quality.
TN power demand expected to touch 23K MW: Minister
The CM’s review also addressed operational disruptions caused by severe weather alongside a shortage of field-level personnel.
Vijay also visited the State Load Despatch Centre, where officials explained how the centre monitors power generation, procurement, demand and supply across the State in real time and balances the power load. He subsequently visited the Minnagam consumer service centre.
Nirmal Kumar attributed several power outages to the failure of the previous DMK government to undertake timely maintenance of the distribution infrastructure ahead of summer.
The previous government had also postponed the maintenance of substations and transformers citing the elections, he said. The power utility has identified around 6,000 ageing transformers, including 1,500 in Chennai and its suburbs, for replacement, he added.
The minister said public frustration over power interruptions was understandable, but urged people not to blockade substations or disrupt field personnel engaged in restoring power supply. Nirmal Kumar said the state’s power demand was expected to rise by up to 4,000 MW to hit 23,000 MW.
The current peak daily power demand is 19,000 MW. Power shortages were being reported in several parts of the country, while the availability of power from the central generating pool was also under pressure. The meeting reviewed measures to manage the anticipated rise in demand and arrangements to procure additional power to meet any shortfall.
“As wind generation has gradually declined, the utility has procured around 3,000 MW of power. We are supplying power to people without any interruption,” he said.
The utility also planned to take up maintenance works at state-owned thermal power plants. However, the minister said such works could not be undertaken when electricity demand was high. The minister also assured that a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) policy would be introduced next week.
