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CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu‘s electricity demand surged to a record high of 19,409MW on Friday, surpassing last year’s peak demand (19,387MW on April 20, 2023) a month earlier than expected. By April, Tangedco officials expect the state’s demand to go up by another 8%.
Officials say the early spike in demand is due to rising temperatures pushing up use of fans and air conditioners, and sanction of a three-phase power supply for irrigation.”The maximum demand was recorded around 11 am on Friday, coinciding with peak solar hours. We met the need without any difficulty as solar power generation was good,” said an official.
When demand peaked, generation from solar energy was 4,162MW, nearly touching the maximum capacity of 4,200MW. Tangedco officials anticipate the peak may exceed 20,000 MW by the month-end or early April, and go up to 21,000 MW this summer.
The surge in demand began in Jan. Officials say it is normal to see an 8% year-on-year increase in power demand. The power demand in Jan went up by 11% compared to Jan 2023. In Feb there was a 9% increase compared to Feb 2023. In March and April, the surge is likely to hover over 9%, officials said. To meet demand, Tangedco has entered into short-term power purchase agreements with gencoms and power swapping agreements with northeastern states, securing an additional 4,321MW for April. To keep costs in check, power swap agreements have been signed.
North Chennai Thermal Power Station Stage III, which was recently inaugurated with an 800MW capacity, has commenced production at 260MW. This output is expected to increase after March 26, following the arrival of imported coal. Additionally, Vallur thermal plant units 1 and 2, which together have a capacity of 700 megawatts, will start generating power by March-end. Kudankulam Unit 1 will start generation in April second week. “By the time unit 2 of Kudankulam is shut down for fuelling in May, the wind season will begin and we should be able to manage the demand without much trouble,” said officials.
Officials say the early spike in demand is due to rising temperatures pushing up use of fans and air conditioners, and sanction of a three-phase power supply for irrigation.”The maximum demand was recorded around 11 am on Friday, coinciding with peak solar hours. We met the need without any difficulty as solar power generation was good,” said an official.
When demand peaked, generation from solar energy was 4,162MW, nearly touching the maximum capacity of 4,200MW. Tangedco officials anticipate the peak may exceed 20,000 MW by the month-end or early April, and go up to 21,000 MW this summer.
The surge in demand began in Jan. Officials say it is normal to see an 8% year-on-year increase in power demand. The power demand in Jan went up by 11% compared to Jan 2023. In Feb there was a 9% increase compared to Feb 2023. In March and April, the surge is likely to hover over 9%, officials said. To meet demand, Tangedco has entered into short-term power purchase agreements with gencoms and power swapping agreements with northeastern states, securing an additional 4,321MW for April. To keep costs in check, power swap agreements have been signed.
North Chennai Thermal Power Station Stage III, which was recently inaugurated with an 800MW capacity, has commenced production at 260MW. This output is expected to increase after March 26, following the arrival of imported coal. Additionally, Vallur thermal plant units 1 and 2, which together have a capacity of 700 megawatts, will start generating power by March-end. Kudankulam Unit 1 will start generation in April second week. “By the time unit 2 of Kudankulam is shut down for fuelling in May, the wind season will begin and we should be able to manage the demand without much trouble,” said officials.
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