TN's power consumption drops by one-fifth with advent of northeast monsoon

Chennai, Oct 17 (IANS) With the southwest monsoon receding and the arrival of the northeast monsoon, Tamil Nadu has been receiving copious rains for the past few days.

This has led to a reduction in electricity consumption in Tamil Nadu by one-fifth compared to previous days.

According to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (Tangedco), the power consumption in the state has decreased to 302 million units per day, down from 380 million units per day on October 1, when rainfall was scarce.

Tangedco officials stated that in September, power consumption was at its peak, exceeding 400 million units per day according to their records.

Officials of the state power utility noted that, following the onset of the northeast monsoon, power consumption for both agricultural and residential purposes has dropped significantly.

They explained that, over the past week, the state has received heavy rainfall, reducing the need for air conditioners, which in turn has led to lower power consumption.

For farmers, the rains have filled farmlands and agricultural areas with water, eliminating the need to use motor pumps to draw water from deep borewells.

Meanwhile, Tangedco has announced the assignment of nodal officers to all 15 zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to oversee immediate relief measures related to electricity distribution during the northeast monsoon.

According to senior Tangedco officials, Executive Engineers have been appointed as nodal officers for each zone.

These officers will coordinate with GCC officials to address disruptions in power supply, replace damaged poles, cut power in low-lying areas, and repair technical faults in transformers.

The northeast monsoon hit Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, October 15, bringing heavy rains to many parts of the state. Chennai and surrounding districts, such as Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur, experienced heavy to very heavy rains, leading to flooding in several areas.

The state revenue department has opened 5,141 relief centres across Tamil Nadu to assist people displaced from low-lying areas. Each relief centre can accommodate 50 to 1,000 people.