Steps taken for uninterrupted power supply across state, claims Minister

CHENNAI: Amid sporadic public protests over power outages in the State, Tamil Nadu electricity minister Thangam Thennarasu on Tuesday claimed that enhanced power infrastructure has resulted in uninterrupted power to all consumers across the state.

Observing that about 8,905 transformers in the state, mostly in Trichy, Navalur, and Villupuram zones were suffering low voltage problems, Thennarasu, in a statement said that the energy infrastructure to the tune of Rs 743.86 crore has been upgraded and made operational under the integrated development project undertaken since August 2021.

In addition, 652 MVA capacity has been augmented, and about 5,705 high-load transformers were identified and repaired in the state. He added that about 3,200 new transformers have been installed to address the low voltage problem and power loss has been considerably reduced by scaling down the low-tension transmission lines. Claiming that electricity distribution with consistent voltage has been ensured for low-end users among others, he said that the efforts made by the government to scale up the energy infrastructure in the last three years have resulted in uninterrupted power supply to all consumers in the state. Arguing that a three-phase power supply for agriculture was provided for 12 hours in delta districts and 9 hours in the rest of the state in the past, he said that duration is increased to 12 – 16 hours across the state leading to increased agriculture productivity.

Adding that about 1.5 lakh new electricity connections were provided to farmers in the last two years, he further said that a provision for new connections for the current year is also underway. He said that efforts were being made on a war footing to repair the disruptions and ensure maximum three-phase power supply for agriculture in delta districts.