Dear Members and Visitors,
It gives me great pleasure to address you as President of Tamil Nadu Electricity Consumers’ Association. As we navigate an ever-changing energy landscape, our shared commitment to affordable, reliable and sustainable power remains our guiding light.
Over the past 27 years our association has worked tirelessly to represent your interests-engaging with utilities, regulatory bodies and policymakers to ensure that the high-tension consumers receive fair treatment, improved infrastructure and transparent billing. We have pushed for greater efficiency, sought opportunities for renewable integration and, promoted best practices in energy management.
Looking ahead our priorities include strengthening our collective voice in energy policy discussions, supporting modern technologies that enhance efficiency and reduce costs and build partnerships across industries to share knowledge and create synergies.
Your active participation is our greatest strength. I encourage each member to engage in dialogue, suggest improvements and contribute to our initiatives. Together we can shape a future where high-tension consumers thrive in a fair, competitive and sustainable environment.
Thank you for your trust, cooperation and commitment. Let us move forward with determination and optimism.
Warm Regards,
L.Santhosh
President
Dear Members,
High-Cost Power Procurement: A Wake-Up Call for Tamil Nadu’s Energy PlanningTamil Nadu’s industrial growth depends on the availability of reliable, uninterrupted and affordable electricity. However, the recent need to procure power at exceptionally high prices to bridge the gap between electricity demand and availability raises serious concerns about the long-term cost and sustainability of power procurement in our State.
Reports of power purchase agreements finalised by the Tamil Nadu power utility for October 2026 indicate procurement of power at rates of approximately ₹32 to ₹37 per unit. While such arrangements may be necessary to meet immediate demand and prevent disruption to consumers, the exceptionally high cost highlights the importance of proactive power planning and timely capacity management.
The immediate challenge is to ensure uninterrupted power supply; the larger challenge is to ensure that the cost of securing that power does not become an additional burden on industries and consumers.
For High Tension consumers, electricity is a major component of production costs. Industries are already navigating competitive markets, rising input costs and the transition towards cleaner energy. Expensive power procurement, if reflected in future tariffs or other charges, could further affect industrial competitiveness, investment decisions and employment generation. It is therefore essential to understand how such procurement costs will be accounted for and whether they could ultimately affect consumer tariffs.
This situation calls for a comprehensive review of Tamil Nadu’s power procurement strategy. Demand forecasting, timely contracting of long-term power, diversification of supply sources, strengthening of transmission infrastructure and better coordination of renewable energy resources must receive priority. Greater investment in battery energy storage, pumped-storage projects and other flexibility solutions can help address evening peak demand and reduce dependence on expensive short-term purchases.
Tamil Nadu has substantial wind and solar energy potential. The challenge is to integrate these resources effectively with dependable generation and storage so that renewable energy contributes not only to sustainability but also to cost-effective power availability. Transparent procurement processes, competitive bidding and careful assessment of the total cost of supply are equally important.
As an Association representing HT consumers, we believe that energy security and affordability must go hand in hand. We urge the Government of Tamil Nadu and the power utility to examine the reasons behind the supply shortfall, assess the financial implications of high-cost procurement, and develop a clear, long-term strategy to minimise the recurrence of such situations. Greater transparency regarding procurement costs and their potential impact on consumers would also strengthen confidence among industries.
Our objective is not to question the necessity of meeting an immediate power shortage. Rather, it is to ensure that emergency measures are complemented by structural reforms that prevent avoidable shortages and excessive procurement costs in the future. Tamil Nadu’s ambition to remain a leading industrial destination can be sustained only through a power sector that is reliable, financially prudent and consumer-oriented.
Let us work collectively towards a future where industries have access to dependable electricity at competitive rates, supporting investment, employment, economic growth and the State’s energy transition.
With warm regards,
L. SanthoshPresident
Tamil Nadu Electricity Consumers’ Association (TECA)
