Coimbatore’s micro and small industries have called for an urgent upgrade of the district’s power infrastructure, citing frequent supply disruptions and voltage fluctuations affecting more than 50,000 units located alongside residential clusters. The Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Micro Enterprises made the demands to electricity minister C T R Nirmal Kumar ahead of the summer period.
The association has sought dedicated additional 11 kV and 22 kV feeders from all 110 kV substations serving micro and small industrial clusters. It has also asked that new feeder lengths be limited to 5 km to reduce transmission losses and improve supply stability. According to the association, feeder stretches in several areas currently extend to about 12 km.
The industry body has requested upgrades to existing high-tension lines, including the replacement of conductors to safely handle maximum current. It has also called for higher-capacity distribution transformers to support a steadier power supply to industrial areas and mixed residential-industrial neighbourhoods.
To address low voltage and fluctuations across Coimbatore city, surrounding town panchayats and panchayat areas, the association has proposed installing around 20 new high-capacity transformers under each Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited section office. The demand places local distribution capacity at the centre of the industry’s concerns, rather than focusing only on new connections.
The association has also flagged non-functional ring main units and automatic switches, alleging that several of these systems have remained without maintenance for years. It said the condition of the equipment was contributing to material waste and delays in fault rectification. The body has sought immediate repairs and restoration of these systems.
Another demand is for round-the-clock fault or fuse-off call night breakdown response offices across all circles in Coimbatore. The association said similar facilities are available in parts of the city but sought wider coverage so that supply failures affecting industrial units can be addressed outside regular working hours.
The demands also include a rollback of the fixed charges for low-tension current transformer-operated connections of up to 112 kW. The association said the monthly fixed charge had increased from Rs 35 per kW to Rs 162 per kW since September 2023, raising operating costs for smaller industrial units. It added that a representation submitted to the chief minister on July 29 had not yet been implemented.
The association’s requests now await consideration by the electricity department, including decisions on feeder additions, transformer capacity, equipment maintenance, night breakdown response and the fixed-charge issue.
