Amid reports that the duration of power cut might be increased from two hours to four hours in the city, chief minister Ms J. Jayalalithaa told the Assembly on Wednesday that the power cur hours will be brought down from June.
Intervening during the speech of CPI (M) MLA R Annadurai, the chief minister said, “We said the power cut will end step by step from June. We are still in March. Please wait for three more months.”
Earlier, CPI (M) MLA had remarked that the government had promised to bring down the power cut but was only increasing the power cut hours.
With demand for power going up as temperature soars, Tangedco officials are pinning their hopes on wind power generation. The wind power season from May would bring in the much-needed relief to the power-starved state. It will last till October.
Besides wind power, power managers are hoping to commission North Chennai, Vallur and Mettur thermal power plants. “We are hopeful of getting 1,950 mw of electricity through fast track completion of some of the ongoing projects by June and another 600 mw power will be generated by October,” a senior official said.
The government decision to give the go-ahead for the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant work would be help the corporation overcome the present power crisis facing the state.
At present, the state faces a deficit of around 4,000 MW as against the total availability from internal generation and share from Central generating station and other sources is 8,500 MW.
Power commission can revise tariffs
Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa told the Assembly on Wednesday that Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) could revise power tariffs on its own even if no recommendations are being made by Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB).
The issue came up when DMDK MLA S. R. Parthiban said people were worried about tariff revision. CPM MLA K Balakrishnan said the TNERC would not revise the power tariff if the TNEB had not sent a proposal to do so.
But Ms Jayalalithaa said according to an order by Central Electricity Appellate Tribunal, the TNERC could revise tariffs on its own. The board had filed a tariff revision petition with TNERC on November 17 last year seeking upward revision of tariff for all consumers.