Chennai: Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) has completed overhauling its thermal plants to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply through the summer. On Friday, maintenance work on all three units of the 630MW stage I of the North Chennai thermal power station had been finished. The overhauling of stage II had already been completed earlier, they added. The 800MW supercritical stage III, which began commercial operations on Jan 24, has not generated power since Jan 27.Production at the stage III unit was halted for maintenance after operating continuously for three days. “Minor issues will be resolved, and the plant is expected to operate at full capacity next week,” officials said. Peak power demand in 2026 is projected to exceed 22,000MW in April, coinciding with the onset of summer and the Assembly elections. The expected 6% surge in demand did not materialize in 2025 because of summer rains. Demand touched 20,000MW only once in 2025, with daily consumption averaging about 400 million units. In 2024, electricity demand rose by 7.32%, setting a record high of 454.32 million units consumed in a single day and a peak demand of 20,830MW. Anticipating a similar surge, TNPDCL has signed several medium- and short-term power purchase agreements and secured an increased share from the central grid.
The power corporation, which operates the state’s thermal and gas-based plants with a combined installed capacity of 5,528MW, is preparing to restore two fire-damaged units at Tuticorin thermal station. “Three of the five units are functioning normally. Of the damaged ones, one is expected to resume generation in April and the other by June,” officials said.
