In a first, TN’s peak power demand crosses 17,000 MW

“This is the first time we are crossing 17,000 MW instantaneous peak power demand in the State. At 12 noon on Saturday, we met the peak demand of 17,121 MW,” said a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (TANTRANSCO).

The previous all-time high demand was 16,481 MW met on March 26 this year.

Unlike previous years, when the peak power demand was recorded during the evening time coinciding with the domestic – air conditioners’ usage load, the State has been witnessing peak demand in the afternoon owing to increased agricultural load.

“Due to good monsoon rainfall recorded last year, the farmers are using the pump sets to irrigate their fields for the second crop. Moreover, we have started supplying 24X7 power to agriculture feeders from April 1. So the peak demand happened during the afternoon for the past one month,” the official said.

The official added that they also utilised the solar power generation to the maximum when the power demand peaked. “On Saturday, we utilised 2,714 MW solar generation at noon,” he noted.

Moreover, the official added that the domestic power demand is also going up during the afternoon considering many people are working from home. “Due to sweltering heat, the air conditioners are being used during the afternoon leading to an increase in the power demand,” the official said.

The State was expected to cross the 17,000 MW peak demand last year itself. However, the COVID-19 outbreak resulted in the slump of economic activity which directly impacted the power demand in 2020. On April 3, 2019, the State recorded the all-time high demand of 16,151 MW but in 2020, the power demand hovered around 10,000 MW to 12,000 MW during the summer.