The Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Tiny Enterprises, representing micro industries in Coimbatore city, has appealed to the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited to strengthen the electricity infrastructure in Coimbatore district.
Its president J. James said in a press release on Monday that given the high concentration of small-scale industrial units alongside residential areas in the district, additional dedicated 11 kV/22 kV power lines should be connected to all 110 kV substations to prevent power outages during the summer season. The power lines established for this purpose should not exceed a maximum length of five km as currently, some extend up to approximately 12 km.
In Coimbatore city and surrounding town panchayats and panchayats, new, high-capacity, and high-quality transformers should be erected to address voltage fluctuations. All power lines and sub-stations should be inter-connected to allow flexible routing. In the event of a fault, the affected section should be isolated while ensuring an uninterrupted power supply to the remaining areas.
The Ring Main Units (RMUs) and automatic switches installed by the Energy Department in the district require better maintenance. ‘Fault Off-Call’ (FOC) service specifically for addressing night hour power outages should be established in all areas and circles surrounding Coimbatore city.
In Tamil Nadu, there are over one lakh LTCT (Low Tension Current Transformer) electricity connections, supporting more than 10 lakh micro and small-scale entrepreneurs. Since September 2023, the fixed charge (demand charge) has been increased from ₹35 per kilowatt to ₹162 per kilowatt. On July 29, 2026, the Association representatives submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu requesting that the fixed charge be reverted to the previous rate of ₹35 per kilowatt (for a sanctioned load of up to 112 kW). Although the Chief Minister assured us that action would be taken, this has not yet been implemented. In the interest of the welfare of micro and small-scale entrepreneurs, the demand charges should be reduced for the LT CT industries.
The conductors of existing High Tension (HT) power lines must be upgraded to ensure the entire line can withstand maximum current loads. Further, the capacity of existing distribution transformers should be increased to facilitate higher power distribution.
Published – October 26, 2026 08:29 pm IST
