It has given weighted average to generation during the rotational holiday declared for the industry and is monitoring how the state grid is reacting to it. A TNEB source told The Financial Express that the rotational holiday now in force should enable the grid to save at least 100 mw of power every day.

Through its "district war" programme, the TNEB has given holiday to the industry and although it hopes to save between 225 and 250 mw of power daily, it reckons that at least a 100 mw could be saved at a very conservative estimate. Another step that TNEB has taken to tackle the critical power supply position is to urge large industries to use captive power generation sets to meet at least part of their requirements. For example, those who use 4 mw of power and above in the state account for a total use of 450 mw of power per day.By requesting them to go in for captive power generation, TNEB expects to limit power consumption by industries up to 250 mw.

It expects that at the very least through the use of captive power generation sets, the state can save another 100 mw per day. The two measures together can save 200 mw per day. Tamil Nadu will also get an additional 95 mw of power from the central power stations in the state. This will be part of the 35 per cent increased allocation TNEB has sought from NTPC on the 15 per cent unallotted portion of the three central power stations in the state.

The state is also looking to source 60 mw of power in the morning from the Basin Bridge power station of TNEB as of Wednesday. It is already getting 90 mw of power in the evening from the station which has a capacity of 120 mw based on diesel oil. Another positive factor that the state is banking on is the commissioning of the conversion of this project to naphtha for which IOC has agreed to supply 1.5 lakh tonnes and has laid a pipelinefor the fuel supply. This will enable the station to step up its power generation capacity to the full by April end when the conversion to naphtha is expected to be completed.