Power demand in Chennai hits a new high of over 5,000 MW
Even as residents across the city continue to complain of frequent power outages, particularly during the night, the city has set a new record for
Even as residents across the city continue to complain of frequent power outages, particularly during the night, the city has set a new record for electricity demand. “Chennai crosses a historic power demand of over 5,014 MW [megawatt] on June 10, reflecting the growing energy needs of one of India’s largest metropolitan regions,” J. Radhakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) posted a message on his Instagram page. Previously, the maximum demand reached 4,966 MW on June 8 and 4,852 MW on May 22. So far, Tamil Nadu met highest demand of 21,307 MW on April 29.
On the day, the rest of the southern region experienced a significant peak power demand. As of now, the highest demand - 66,694 MW - for the entire region was recorded on April 2, 2025. According to Mr. Radhakrishnan, the Chennai region serves approximately 38.80 lakh consumers through 253 substations, 40,798 distribution transformers, 16,582 km of high tension (HT) lines, and around 55,000 km of low tension (LT) lines across the distribution circles of Chennai North, Chennai Central, Chennai West, Chennai South-I, and Chennai South-II. This urban network forms a part of Tamil Nadu’s extensive power infrastructure comprising 1,910 substations, 39,763 circuit km of EHV transmission lines, 2,11,948 km of HT lines, 6,66,429 km of LT lines, 4,47,603 distribution transformers, and 351.73 lakh consumers State-wide.
To a query on the power cut issues across the city, Mr. Radhakrishnan said: “There is no shortage of power in Tamil Nadu except that some of the end points in Chennai city are experiencing certain overload conditions due to the extreme heat in the KTCC [Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Chennai] region. Steps have been taken to mitigate overloading issues, and emergency teams have been formed with adequate manpower to address the distribution end breakdowns deftly and immediately.” “There are a few tough spots. This is due to issues like aging infrastructure; demand has outgrown in many locations.
Some locations are very congested...We are addressing these issues. We are also inaugurating a substation in M.K.B. Nagar soon,” Mr. Radhakrishnan added. Earlier this week, there was a massive disruption in power supply at Arumbakkam. This was due to a stormwater drainage work in the area, the TNPDCL chief added.
The BriefWire