After more than two weeks of relief from both scheduled and unscheduled load shedding, the power cuts returned to trouble the residents of southern districts from Monday.
Combined with the repeated spells of heavy rains that helped reduce power consumption, the increased power generation from wind mills had helped Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) provide relief from power cuts. Sources in TANGEDCO Madurai Region told The Hindu here on Monday that in the past few weeks, power generation from wind mills shot up to 2,500 MW even ahead of the wind season, which was supposed to set in by the last week of May.
This higher generation had enabled the power authorities to provide complete relief to the urban circles with many rural areas also experiencing higher relief.
Residents of Madurai were also clamouring for exemption from power cuts during the Chithirai festivals in which deities of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and Lord Kallazhgar are taken in processions.
However, the sources said that power generation from wind mills declined to 1,500 MW in the early hours of Monday to just 20 MW by noon.
As a result, the earlier pattern of load shedding involving six hours of power cuts in two spells between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. was restored with effect from 12 noon on Monday.
The TANGEDCO Madurai Region, comprises the five southern districts of Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram.
The officials added that once the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project comes online within days as expected and the wind season sets in, residents could experience some relief.
Tamil Nadu topped the list of power generation through windmills in the country with a total installed capacity of 6,696 MW, accounting for 42 per cent of the India's capacity.
Tiruppalai sub-station
A power transformer of the Tiruppalai sub-station was damaged two days back in a road accident that also busted up the breaker circuits. This resulted in several areas supplied by the Tiruppalai sub-station facing over ten hours of power cuts.
While the power transformer has not yet been restored, a senior official said that the power supply was being re-routed through the K. Pudur sub-station. The Tiruppalai sub-station's power transformer was likely to be resorted in a week's time.
