15 per cent drop in peak power demand as industrial use falls

CHENNAI: With the government imposing complete lockdown from May 10, Tamil Nadu’s power demand has fallen by nearly 15 per cent, as the curbs on movement to restrict the spread of the pandemic has also stifled the demand for power.

The State’s peak demand has been hovering over 16,000 MW in April, touching an all-time high peak demand of 16,846 MW on April 10. But the peak demand came down to 13,495 MW on May 13, despite the State reeling under a heatwave.

A senior Tangedco official said that the power demand has not fallen as steeply as it did during last year’s lockdown when all the industries and commercial establishments were shut. “There is a sharp fall in the power demand due to the drop in industrial power consumption. The State’s demand was largely driven by the domestic and agricultural power demand,” the official said.

The daily power consumption, which was consistently touching 360-370 million units, has come down to about 315 million units on May 13.

A Soundararajan, CITU State president, said though the government has ordered to close all the industries except essential ones, the wrong explanation given on what constitutes essential service has led to a situation where all the industries are functioning as usual.

“In the name of essential services, paint shops, continuous process and import industries are allowed to function against the government order. The government should define the essential service industry and conduct inspections,” he said on social media.

However, despite the closure of commercial establishments, the city’s power demand continues to hover over 3,000 MW, indicating increased usage of air conditioners at home. “Due to continuous work-from-home option, several households have installed additional air conditioners that led to increase in power demand,” the official added.