Published Oct 17, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 17, 2026 | 7:00 AM
At present, the government is procuring only around 2,000 MW against an additional requirement of approximately 5,000 MW.
Synopsis: Tamil Nadu’s recurring power cuts have exposed problems in electricity procurement and distribution network maintenance. Jaishankar, general secretary of the South First Central Organisation of Tamil Nadu Electricity Employees, told South First that 90 percent of scheduled maintenance had been neglected over the past seven years. He estimates a shortage of 45,000 field workers and a power shortfall of about 3,000 MW, warning that last-minute purchases at prices as high as ₹35 per unit could increase the electricity board’s debt and burden consumers.
Tamil Nadu’s recurring power cuts have exposed two failures in the State’s electricity sector: inadequate maintenance of the distribution network and a shortfall in power procurement.
In a conversation with South First, Central Organisation of Tamil Nadu Electricity Employees general secretary D Jayasankar says nearly 90 percent of scheduled maintenance work has been neglected over the past seven years, while a shortage of about 45,000 field workers has left the department struggling to repair faults and maintain equipment.
Jaishankar says the government failed to plan for sustained high demand and may now have to buy electricity at ₹35 a unit, compared with the ₹8–₹15 a unit he says advance contracts could have secured. He says Tamil Nadu needs about 45,000 more field workers to attend to power failures and carry out routine maintenance, and that temporary appointments and contract labour will not resolve the shortage.
Edited excerpts follow.
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Q: Tamil Nadu has been experiencing frequent power cuts. What are the main reasons behind this?
Jaishankar: There are two major reasons: inadequate maintenance of the electricity distribution infrastructure and a shortage of electricity to meet demand.
During April and May, temperatures rise sharply, increasing electricity consumption. Air conditioners and other electrical appliances are used more frequently, pushing demand to peak levels. When the system comes under pressure, faults can occur in distribution lines, transformers and other equipment.
This is precisely why pre-summer maintenance is essential. The electricity department has several maintenance schedules, including quarterly, half-yearly and annual maintenance. These cover the equipment used to distribute electricity, from transformers to the various components in substations.
If this maintenance is not carried out properly, faults in the distribution network become more frequent.
According to our assessment, routine maintenance has been severely neglected over the past seven years, with nearly 90 percent of the scheduled maintenance work not being carried out. One of the primary reasons is the shortage of personnel.
The existing workforce is already stretched, dealing with everyday complaints and power failures. As a result, there is little capacity left for preventive maintenance.
The problem is not limited to the availability of electricity. Even when power is available, an inadequately maintained distribution network can cause interruptions.
Q: But power cuts have continued even after the summer. Why?
Jaishankar: Normally, electricity demand falls considerably in June and July, while wind power generation increases with the onset of the southwest monsoon.
Tamil Nadu typically receives substantial electricity from wind farms during this period. According to our estimates, wind power generation can reach around 1,400–1,700 MW. At the same time, electricity demand usually falls from approximately 21,000 MW during the summer peak to around 16,000–17,000 MW.
This year, however, the situation has been different. Demand has remained close to 21,000 MW, while wind power generation has reportedly been only around 300–400 MW.
The unusual weather conditions have contributed to this situation. The southwest monsoon has been weaker than expected, and the El Niño phenomenon has added to concerns about persistent heat and electricity demand.
As a result, the seasonal decline in consumption that Tamil Nadu normally experiences has not materialised.
However, weather alone cannot explain the continuing power cuts. The state must also ensure adequate power procurement and maintain its distribution infrastructure.
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Q: How large is the electricity shortage, and how is the government responding?
Jaishankar: Tamil Nadu’s available electricity from sources such as hydroelectric, solar and wind power, along with its existing supply arrangements, is not sufficient to meet the current demand.
During peak summer, the state has had to arrange approximately 5,000 MW of additional electricity from outside its existing supply. Our concern is that the government has not adequately planned for the continuation of this demand beyond the summer.
At present, the government is procuring only around 2,000 MW against an additional requirement of approximately 5,000 MW. That leaves a shortfall of nearly 3,000 MW, according to our assessment.
When there is insufficient power, the authorities have to manage supply constraints. Interruptions and repeated restoration of supply can place additional pressure on an already weak distribution network.
In areas where infrastructure has not been properly maintained, this can result in repeated faults, blown fuses, transformer failures and other technical problems.
The shortage of electricity and the failure to maintain the distribution system are therefore reinforcing each other.
Q: When should the government have anticipated this shortage? Was there enough time to plan?
Jaishankar: The government and the electricity board should have anticipated the possibility of sustained high demand and planned their procurement accordingly.
Tamil Nadu has generally experienced a decline in electricity demand during June and July, alongside an increase in wind power generation. That has reduced the need to purchase large quantities of additional electricity during these months.
This year, the usual pattern has changed. If the government expected the El Niño conditions to persist until February, it should have assessed how long the additional demand might continue and planned its procurement several months in advance.
Instead, the government appears to have underestimated the extent and duration of the problem.
It is true that an unusual weather event cannot be prevented by the government. But the administration is responsible for anticipating its likely impact and preparing accordingly.
Our criticism is that the government failed to adequately assess the situation and make timely arrangements to secure electricity at a reasonable price.
Q: The government is reportedly considering purchasing electricity at ₹35 per unit. Is that justified?
Jaishankar: ₹35 per unit is an extremely high price for electricity. If the government purchases large quantities at that rate and continues doing so until February, the financial burden on the electricity board could increase substantially.
Tamil Nadu already has a significant debt burden. Expensive power purchases could add to that debt, potentially increasing the need for tariff revisions in the future.
Ultimately, consumers could bear part of the burden through higher electricity tariffs.
The important question is why the government has reached a situation in which it may have to consider purchasing electricity at such a high price.
If the demand had been anticipated earlier, the government could have explored procurement contracts in advance rather than relying heavily on last-minute purchases.
In my view, the failure to plan ahead has weakened the state’s bargaining position.
Q: Why is Tamil Nadu buying electricity at the last minute when other states have already secured their supplies?
Jaishankar: According to our assessment, several other states began arranging additional electricity well in advance because they anticipated that the unusual weather conditions would continue.
Tamil Nadu, however, appears to have approached the market later.
When several states are competing for additional electricity, the available supply becomes more limited. Private power producers know that a state facing an immediate shortage needs electricity urgently. This can give suppliers greater bargaining power.
If Tamil Nadu approaches the market only after other states have secured their requirements, it may have to accept the prices offered by suppliers.
Electricity procurement should not be treated as an emergency exercise every time demand rises. The government must assess future demand, examine weather forecasts and plan its purchases in advance.
Our argument is that better planning could have helped Tamil Nadu avoid at least some of the need for expensive short-term procurement.
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Q: The government has argued that previous administrations also purchased electricity at high prices. How do you respond?
Jaishankar: Electricity procurement must be assessed in the context of the prevailing circumstances. It is not enough to compare one administration’s purchase price with another’s without examining the demand, the duration of the contract and the availability of supply at the time.
The government may argue that previous administrations also purchased electricity at high prices. But if the current government is considering purchases at ₹35 per unit, it must explain why the state was not better prepared.
Long-term procurement arrangements can potentially secure lower prices than short-term or emergency purchases. The government could have purchased electricity at around ₹8, ₹10 or ₹15 per unit by entering into contracts in advance, instead of waiting until the shortage became acute. It should assess future demand and explore contracts spanning several months or years, depending on projected requirements and the terms offered. By delaying procurement until the last minute, the government risks losing its bargaining power and being forced to accept much higher prices.
For example, a longer-term agreement may offer a more predictable price than purchasing electricity on the spot market. But the government must carefully assess the contract, the supplier’s reliability and the state’s actual requirements before committing to it.
The objective should be to ensure a reliable electricity supply at the lowest reasonable cost, not simply to purchase whatever is available at the last minute.
Q: You have raised concerns about the role of private power producers. Are consumers and the state being placed at the mercy of private companies?
Jaishankar: Electricity generation has increasingly involved private players, although public utilities continue to play an important role in the sector.
The problem arises when a state has an immediate need for electricity but has not secured adequate supply in advance. Under those circumstances, private suppliers may be able to demand higher prices. We are concerned about the possibility of private power producers taking advantage of an emergency shortage.
In conventional thermal power generation, the cost of producing one unit of electricity is approximately ₹4.50 to ₹5.50. Purchasing electricity at ₹35 per unit would mean paying substantially more than the estimated generation cost.
The government must examine whether the prices being offered are reasonable and whether the procurement process protects public money. Electricity is an essential service, and a shortage should not become an opportunity for excessive profiteering.
We are also concerned about the government’s move towards greater private participation in the electricity sector, including through initiatives such as smart metering. When essential electricity services are increasingly handed over to private players, there is a risk that commercial interests could take precedence over public welfare.
If private companies are given greater control over these services, consumers could face higher tariffs and additional financial burdens. Any increase in electricity costs would ultimately affect ordinary households, particularly those already struggling with rising living expenses.
The government must therefore ensure that private participation does not come at the expense of consumers. It must maintain effective regulation, transparency in procurement and safeguards against unreasonable price increases. The priority should be to provide reliable electricity at an affordable cost, rather than allowing consumers to bear the consequences of poor planning or expensive private power purchases.
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Q: Is the government deliberately allowing a shortage to develop so that it can justify purchasing expensive electricity?
Jaishankar: We cannot establish such an allegation without evidence. However, when the government fails to anticipate demand and subsequently considers purchasing electricity at an exceptionally high price, questions naturally arise.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government is a new administration, and it appears to lack experience in handling the complexities of governance, particularly in a critical sector such as electricity. Instead of relying on the expertise of professionals and specialists in the field, the government seems to have struggled to develop an effective response to the crisis.
The government should have anticipated the possibility of sustained high demand and explored advance procurement arrangements to secure electricity at more reasonable prices. It must explain why such planning did not happen.
We cannot rule out possibilities or make allegations of deliberate manipulation without evidence. However, the circumstances warrant scrutiny, particularly when the government may have to purchase electricity at exceptionally high prices.
Our position is that the government must be transparent about its procurement decisions. It should disclose the reasons for the shortage, the quantity of electricity being purchased, the prices offered, the duration of the contracts and the alternatives considered.
The government should also consult experts and experienced officials to address the crisis. The public deserves to know why the state has reached this position and whether the decisions being taken are in the best interests of consumers.
Q: Apart from electricity procurement, how serious is the shortage of workers in the Tamil Nadu electricity sector?
Jaishankar: The shortage of personnel is one of the most serious problems facing the electricity department.
Workers are needed at every stage of the system, particularly in distribution, where faults must be identified and repaired quickly.
Consider a transformer failure. A transformer may supply electricity to several villages or a large number of households. A fault can also affect connected distribution lines and other equipment, creating problems at multiple locations.
Now imagine that faults occur at 40 different locations within a section, but only two field workers are available to attend to them. Those workers cannot reach every location immediately.
As a result, consumers may have to wait longer for electricity to be restored.
Field workers, including wiremen and other technical personnel, are essential for repairing faults, maintaining equipment and restoring supply. There is an estimated shortage of approximately 45,000 field workers in Tamil Nadu’s electricity sector. Without sufficient staff, even routine maintenance becomes difficult, while power cuts and equipment failures can take longer to resolve.
The problem is compounded when contractual recruitment also fails to provide the required manpower.
The electricity board may enter into contracts to engage workers, but contractors must actually recruit and deploy sufficient personnel. If the wages offered to workers are inadequate, contractors may struggle to find people willing to take up these jobs.
In such circumstances, merely signing a contract does not solve the shortage.
The government must ensure that the department has enough trained workers to maintain the network and respond to emergencies.
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Q: How does the staff shortage affect maintenance and the everyday lives of consumers?
Jaishankar: Preventive maintenance and emergency repairs require adequate manpower. If workers are unavailable, the department is forced to prioritise immediate complaints over routine maintenance.
This creates a cycle in which small faults may remain unattended until they develop into bigger problems.
For example, if a transformer or a section of a distribution line is not properly maintained, a fault can interrupt supply to a large area. Workers must then identify the problem, travel to the location, inspect the equipment and carry out repairs.
If there are too few workers, the response takes longer.
The shortage also affects safety. Electricity-related work requires trained personnel, appropriate equipment and proper supervision. The department cannot sustainably depend on an inadequate workforce to handle an expanding distribution network.
Consumers experience the consequences directly through prolonged power cuts, repeated interruptions and delays in restoring supply.
The government must recognise that reliable electricity is not possible without sufficient field staff.
Q: The state government has announced 15,000 recruitment in the electricity board. What is the status of these commitments?
Jaishankar: There have been several announcements, but we are concerned about the gap between what has been promised and what is actually being implemented.
At one stage, the announcement referred to recruiting around 15,000 employees, along with approximately 5,000 additional personnel for other requirements, including line-related work. Subsequently, the government spoke about recruiting 10,000 people under a fixed-term employment arrangement.
These announcements have created confusion among workers and trade unions about the government’s actual recruitment policy.
There are different requirements within the department. Regular recruitment, appointments under fixed-term arrangements and the engagement of contract workers are not interchangeable.
The department needs to fill its vacancies based on a proper assessment of its workforce requirements, including the number of employees approaching retirement.
The government must clearly explain how many people it intends to recruit, which categories of workers will be appointed, when recruitment will take place and whether the appointments will be sufficient to address the shortage.
Announcements alone will not resolve the problem. The workers must actually be appointed and deployed where they are needed.
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Q: The government has also proposed fixed-term employment. Why are workers opposing this approach?
Jaishankar: We are concerned that fixed-term employment could become a substitute for a sustainable recruitment policy.
The electricity department needs an experienced and adequately staffed workforce. Employees must be able to carry out maintenance, repair faults and respond to emergencies across the state.
If recruitment is based primarily on temporary arrangements without addressing the department’s long-term requirements, the underlying shortage may continue.
We have also raised concerns about the possibility of increasing dependence on private contractors and outsourcing more work.
Our demand is that the government should assess the department’s sanctioned strength, existing vacancies and projected retirements before deciding how recruitment should take place.
The government should not make announcements about recruitment without consulting the unions and explaining how the proposed appointments will address the actual needs of the department.
Q: What immediate steps should the Tamil Nadu government take to resolve the crisis?
Jaishankar: The government must first assess the electricity shortage realistically and make arrangements to meet demand at reasonable prices.
It should examine whether additional electricity can be secured through advance contracts rather than relying heavily on expensive spot purchases.
Second, the department must carry out pending maintenance work across substations, transformers and distribution lines. This requires an adequate number of technical workers and a clear maintenance schedule.
Third, the government must address the workforce shortage through a transparent recruitment process. Vacancies should be assessed against the department’s operational requirements and the number of employees expected to retire.
Fourth, the electricity minister should hold discussions with trade unions and listen to the concerns of workers. The unions have experience of the department’s day-to-day functioning and can identify practical solutions.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
