Chennai, Rejecting the opposition's allegations of mismanagement and high-cost power purchases, Tamil Nadu Minister R Nirmal Kumar on Tuesday defended the state government's decision to call for short-term power tenders.
He attributed the strain on the grid to a 30 per cent spike in demand driven by persistent El Niño-induced heat, along with shortfalls in central allocations and wind generation.
Briefing reporters at the State Secretariat, Nirmal Kumar said the state's power demand had risen from 16,800 MW during the corresponding period last year to 21,700 MW, an increase of about 4,900 MW.
"The heat has not subsided because of El Niño, leading to a nationwide surge in electricity demand that national forecasts had largely failed to anticipate," he claimed.
El Niño, the warm phase of a natural climate cycle, raises sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, triggering weather changes that can increase the risk of droughts and floods and intensify human-induced global warming.
He said NLC India had failed to supply around 1,800 to 1,850 MW from the central quota over the past month.
"Out of 3,500 MW tied up through wind energy agreements, sluggish wind speeds have reduced generation to just 500 MW, resulting in a deficit of 3,000 MW," he said.
Together, these shortfalls account for nearly 4,850 MW of missing power, forcing the government to step in with temporary measures to prevent unscheduled load shedding and power cuts across the state, the minister added.
Clarifying the scope of the procurement, the minister for Energy Resources and Law said the short-term tender was strictly for the period from October 15 to October 31.
Tenders were floated for 3,500 MW to test market availability, but the state intended to procure only 1,500 MW, specifically for peak hours, he said.
"While high-cost gas-based power remains an option in the exchange, the government is carefully monitoring bids to minimise additional financial impact while ensuring uninterrupted power supply during upcoming festival seasons like Deepavali and the Christmas to New Year period," he said.
Blaming the previous DMK government for failing to enter into long-term power purchase contracts over the last five years, the minister said the state was initiating new long-term tenders for 4,000 to 5,000 MW, alongside five-year contracts for 1,500 to 2,000 MW, aiming to add 6,000 to 8,000 MW of capacity by 2028-29.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had earlier accused the TVK-led government of pushing the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation deeper into a financial crisis and "orchestrating" a massive corruption scandal in power procurement.
He alleged that contracts had been awarded to five private firms to procure 4,400 MW daily from October 12 to October 31 at an average of ₹35 per unit.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, too, voiced concern over procurement costs, saying buying power at ₹35 per unit from the open market could result in losses exceeding ₹1 lakh crore annually for Tamil Nadu.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.