Soaring September heat pushes Tamil Nadu's power demand to new highs

CHENNAI: The intense summer heat in September is causing a surge in electricity demand. Tangedco officials say the current surge is comparable to the peak usage during summer in March and May.
On Sunday, Tamil Nadu consumed 369.41 million units (Mu) of electricity — the highest ever recorded on a Sunday in Sept. The demand has been consistently increasing, officials said.
For instance, on September 8, the state's power consumption was 320 Mu, an increase from 307 Mu on September 1. "This is similar to the demand in March," an official said.
Records show on March 10 (Sunday), Tamil Nadu's power consumption was 367.22 Mu, and on May 12 (Sunday), the power demand was 374.74 Mu.
The all-time high power consumption of 454.320 Mu was recorded on April 30 this year. Chennai's power consumption on Sunday was 77.46 Mu, while the peak power demand was 3,700 MW.
Power demand drops on Sundays compared to weekdays as most of the industries and offices are closed. However, last Sunday's power demand was higher than some of the working days this month.
Tangedco officials attribute it to the increased air conditioner usage in households to beat the heat, which led to the overall spike in power consumption.
"Considering the load is mainly from domestic consumers, 369.41 Mu is very high for a Sunday in September," said a Tangedco official.
Tangedco met the demand as the peak power required did not cross 17,000 MW. "We expect the demand to increase as weathermen have forecast dry weather for Tamil Nadu," he said.
Clear skies have contributed significantly to solar power generation. On Sunday, solar power reached an all-time high, generating 6,401 MW and delivering 45.90 million units (Mu) to the grid. This marks the second time in September that solar generation has exceeded 6,000 MW.
Solar power generation has been steadily increasing since August, thanks to the ongoing addition of new solar projects. Tamil Nadu's installed solar capacity now stands at 8,574 MW, with 1,462 MW added in 2023-24 alone. This includes 200 MW of rooftop solar systems.