Vijay Visits TNEB Headquarters, Reviews Power Supply, Grid Management Ops
During an extensive review meeting, senior electricity board officials briefed the CM on the state's current power demand, generation capacity, contributions from renewable and non-renewable sources, and the gap between demand and available supply capacity, a press release said
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday visited the TNEB headquarters on Anna Salai to review critical operations related to power supply, grid management and consumer services across the state. During an extensive review meeting, senior electricity board officials briefed the CM on the state's current power demand, generation capacity, contributions from renewable and non-renewable sources, and the gap between demand and available supply capacity, a press release said.
Officials outlined challenges affecting power availability, including rising demand across the country, restrictions on power procurement from the market, coal supply constraints, the high cost of gas-based power generation and unexpected outages at central generating stations.
A comprehensive action plan was discussed to assess and meet the projected peak power demand during the summer of 2027.
The CM reviewed challenges in the state's distribution network, such as ageing equipment, grid congestion caused by heavy loads, severe weather impacts and shortages of frontline staff.
TNEB officials detailed ongoing measures to strengthen the power distribution infrastructure through the deployment of additional transformers, installation of new lines, replacement of old components and strengthening of field teams for faster fault resolution.
Plans to improve consumer services through simplified digital channels, faster grievance redressal and upgraded service centres were also presented.
As part of the visit, the CM visited the State Load Despatch Centre to observe real-time monitoring of power generation, procurement, demand and grid balancing across Tamil Nadu.
He inspected the Chennai Distribution SCADA Control Centre to assess real-time monitoring of the city's power distribution, load management and fault restoration, followed by a visit to the 24/7 'Minnagam' consumer service helpline to review call tracking and complaint resolution processes.
Instructing officials to ensure uninterrupted power supply across the state, the CM directed immediate action on complaints related to outages, voltage fluctuations, damaged poles and frayed wiring, besides taking strict measures to prevent electrical accidents.
Vijay instructed the board to create widespread public awareness about rooftop solar systems, leveraging the state government's recent additional subsidy of up to Rs 1 lakh for systems up to 3 KW, along with central subsidies.
He called for the swift introduction of a Battery Energy Storage System policy, expansion of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition technology across the state, timely completion of ongoing power generation projects and a concerted push towards energy self-reliance through renewable energy integration and grid modernisation.
SCADA is a combination of software and hardware that enables industries to monitor, collect data from and control industrial processes either locally or from a remote central location.
The review was attended by Minister for Electricity and Law R Nirmal Kumar, Chief Secretary M Saikumar and other senior department officials.