Trichy power demand spikes 40% as heatwave strains grid

Trichy: With summer temperatures soaring, electricity demand in Trichy district has surged by nearly 40% since March, putting pressure on the power distribution network and triggering frequent outages in several areas.The district recorded a maximum temperature of 40.5°C on Tuesday, while daily power consumption rose from around 400MW in March to nearly 600MW this week — among the highest levels seen in recent years. According to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) officials, the spike is driven by increased use of air conditioners, air coolers and fans in homes and commercial establishments. While peak demand was usually recorded around 6pm, officials said high daytime consumption has also been witnessed over the past 20 days. The sharp rise in demand has exposed strain in the distribution infrastructure, leading to frequent technical faults and unannounced outages, particularly in city areas and some rural pockets. Officials said scheduled maintenance work was deferred during board examinations and the recent assembly election to avoid disruptions, forcing the utility to address faults only as they occurred. Although voltage fluctuation issues reported last month have largely been resolved, outages — mainly in city areas — continued even during the public examination period due to jumper faults. "Over the past 15 months, we have installed about 181 distribution transformers across the district. However, load issues are more prominent in the city, where residential and commercial establishments use more air conditioners, coolers and other power-intensive appliances," a senior Tangedco official told TOI. The official said jumper faults, defects in connecting points on live wires attached to electricity poles, and transformer failures have increased due to heavy load and high temperatures. On Tuesday night, a jumper fault in Edamalaipatti Pudur led to an unannounced outage for nearly an hour around 9pm. Similar outages were reported in Mannarpuram, TVS Tollgate and nearby areas last month. Tangedco said two new power transformers would soon be installed in Thiruverumbur and Ambikapuram to improve supply management. "We are trying to effectively redistribute power from areas with lower consumption to those with higher demand," the official said. As scheduled maintenance was deferred due to board examinations and the assembly election, Tangedco has been addressing faults only as they arise. "The utility plans to resume maintenance work after counting of votes on May 4. Demand is expected to increase further. Only if we carry out maintenance work will we be able to run smoothly for the rest of the year," the official added.