Tamil Nadu’s electricity demand declined by over 16% in April-June 2020 (the first quarter of 2020-21), compared with last year, amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
According to the latest data from the Central Electricity Authority, the State’s demand was 24,862 million units during April-June this year, against 29,828 million units in the same period last year.
A full lockdown was imposed in April, while some norms were relaxed in May and June. The lockdown had hurt industrial demand for electricity. Also during May-June, an intense lockdown was imposed in some districts.
The electricity demand is one of the indicators of the economic activity. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of factories in the country, and is home to major automotive, auto components and other power-intensive sectors such as textiles and leather.
The State is also a major hub for information technology and other service-oriented industries. The information technology industry adopted the work from home strategy, while commercial malls were shut during the lockdown.
According to the data, Tamil Nadu’s electricity demand was 8,798 million units in June this year, down nearly 10% from 9,774 million units in June 2019. However, the demand rebounded slightly from May to June this year.
In May, it dropped 15% to 8,831 million units from 10,333 million units in May 2019. In April, the demand was down 28.2% from the same period last year.
The State’s peak demand declined nearly 7% to 14,630 MW in the first quarter of 2020-21, from 15,680 MW in the same period last year.
