TN's peak power demand breaches 20,000 MW mark on Monday

CHENNAI: In a first, Tamil Nadu's peak power demand breached the 20,000 MW mark on Monday amidst an unrelenting heatwave pushing the temperature by two to five degrees centigrade above normal.

An all-time high peak power demand of 20,125 MW was recorded on Monday at 3.30 pm bettering its previous record of 19,585 MW on April 5.

The power demand has been increasing steeply in the last month, particularly, in the last fortnight, thanks to the heatwave.

The all-time high power demand touched 19,409 MW on March 22 bettering last year's April 20 record of 19,387 MW. The power demand went up to 19,413 MW on April 3, 19,413 MW (April 4) and 19,580 MW (April 5).

A senior TANGEDCO official said the heat wave has been fueling the power demand across the state.

"To get respite from the heatwave, people are using air conditioners and fans extensively. Besides, the agricultural load has increased with uninterrupted power supply being provided to farmers across the state during the solar hours, " the official said.

During the evening, the official said that there was a spike in the demand during the IPL matches.

"For the last two years, our maximum power demand has been registered during the solar hours. During the evening IPL matches, our demand goes up to 19,000 MW, " the official added.

The energy consumption also touched record levels in the state. From last year's April 20 high of 423.785 Million Units (MUs), it went up to 426 MU on March 29 this year. It touched an all-time high of 441 MU on April 5.

Tangedco official, however, said that power demand might come down next week if the met department prediction of rains comes true.

"We expect the power demand to touch the 20,500 MW mark this week. If no rain happens next week, the demand might increase further, " the official added.

All-time high peak power demand timeline: