Many areas in the city are experiencing frequent power cuts due to problems in feeder lines or substations.With the power situation easing considerably , consumption has increased. But substations and transmission lines in the city and suburbs have been unable to take the load.
There have been complaints of frequent power cuts in some areas. “There have been power cuts every 30 minutes and it happens even at night. In the last few days many houses are not able to charge their inverters as there is no continuous power supply,“ said K Mahesan, a resident of Mogappair.
Authorities have initiated measures to either upgrade or set up more substations at eight places in and around Chennai, but work on these would be over only by December this year. Biggest among these would be at Korattur where the present 230kv substation would be upgraded to 400kv to facilitate better supply in Sriperumbudur and nearby areas.
“Work is on to upgrade 110kv substations to 230Kv at Raja Annamalaipuram, Thiruverkadu and Ambattur First Street. All these upgraded substations will be ready by December or even earlier,“ said a senior official, seeking anonymity .
The transmission corpora tion is also setting up a new substation at the TNEB headquarters on Anna Salai. “We are setting up a 230kv substation on our headquarters campus. Work is on and once ready it will cater to Anna Salai. The Korattur substation will be the largest. It will function as a receiver and receive power from Sriperumbudur and Manali substations,“ said the official.
TNEB officials are also hopeful that power consumption would reduce in the coming months as the summer re cedes. “Over the past few days the heat has been intense, leading to increase in demand, straining transmission lines.The situation is likely to ease with the improvement in weather conditions,“ said the official.
The transmission corporation is setting up two substations with a capacity of 400kv each at Pulianthope and Manali. “While tender is being floated for the Pulianthope substation, work has started at Manali. When all the substations are operational, there will be relief for residents from power cuts,“ said the official.
The substation at Velachery is also undergoing repairs and another with lower capacity is being set up within the Phoenix Mall. “These two substations will cater to the areas in and around Velachery , which have been complaining of frequent power cuts and low voltage,“ said the official.
