Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay made a surprise visit to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) headquarters on Anna Salai in Chennai on Wednesday, amid complaints about power outages and preparations for the northeast monsoon. He inspected the power generation, transmission and distribution control centres along with Power Minister C T R Nirmal Kumar.

Vijay directed officials to ensure uninterrupted and reliable electricity supply and take immediate action on complaints involving power cuts, voltage fluctuations and damaged poles and wires. He also reviewed arrangements to meet the anticipated increase in demand during the summer of 2027, including measures to maintain adequate power availability.

Nirmal Kumar said field officers had been permitted to directly engage up to 18,000 contract workers to address electricity-related issues. Tamil Nadu would require around 600 new substations to strengthen its distribution network, with the facilities to be established in phases over the next five years. Up to 6,000 transformers would also be installed or upgraded.

The review covered ageing infrastructure, network congestion, major outages, poor power quality and operational disruptions caused by severe weather. At the State Load Despatch Centre, officials explained how power generation, procurement, demand and supply are monitored in real time and balanced across the state. Vijay later visited the Minnagam consumer service centre.

The minister said the utility had identified around 6,000 ageing transformers for replacement, including 1,500 in Chennai and its suburbs. He attributed several outages to delayed maintenance by the previous government and said maintenance work at state-owned thermal power plants could not be undertaken during periods of high demand.

Tamil Nadu’s peak daily demand is currently 19,000 MW and is expected to rise by up to 4,000 MW to reach 23,000 MW. With wind generation declining, the utility has procured around 3,000 MW, while additional power procurement is being reviewed to manage any shortfall. Nirmal Kumar also said a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) policy would be introduced next week and urged the public not to obstruct substations or field personnel restoring supply.