Chennai: The TN Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) on Saturday met an all-time high demand of 12,144 MW, with four of the five new thermal units generating power. However, demand, which normally surges during the summer months, recorded an all-time high demand in winter for the first time.
According to Tangedco sources, the demand was met on Saturday during the peak time at 7.50 am. The previous highest power demand in the state was recorded on October 1, 2013 when it soared to 12,118 MW.
The state has been free of major power cuts since December 28, 2013, as opposed to long duration load shedding across the state in the first few weeks of that month due to outages at its thermal plants and maintenance shut down of Central generating stations, a senior official said. The urban parts of the state have been free of load shedding while rural areas faced a one-hour power cut, and that too, rarely.
“Four new thermal units are generating power and another in North Chennai, shut down following a fire, is expected to start generation tonight,” the official said. The new thermal units have a combined capacity of 2,800 MW. The state will get a full quantum of power from the three units of 600 MW capacity each in Mettur and North Chennai while it will get nearly 700 MW as its share from the 1,000 MW Vallur units.
The all-time high demand was met with little contribution from wind power unlike previous records. “On Saturday morning, wind power contribution was only 468 MW as against 2,277 MW wind power out of 12,118 MW on October 1, 2013,” the official said.
