TN will have no power cuts from June

Chennai:

The power crisis in Tamil Nadu will be phased out slowly and by June the state will have no power cuts, according to state electricity minister Natham R Viswanath.

Delivering the inaugural address during Energy --- 2012: Vision 2023 ‘New Era of Sustainable Energy Management’ organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the minister said from December step by step the power cuts will reduce and by June next year the state will be without power cut.

The minister said that by June the state would have additional 4,000 MW of power as the projects, which are under development would soon be generating power.

Citing out the status of various projects, the minister said that currently, 600 megawatt Mettur Thermal Power Station is currently generating 400 MW opf power during the test run and would start generating 600 MW by next month.

He also said the state is expected to get 1,050 MW of power from the 3X500 thermal plant at Vallur in Ponneri taluk of Tiruvallur district. The test run of first unit has commenced, said Viswanath.

He said one unit of the 2x600 MW of North Chennai Power Station would generate power by December and the other unit by March or June. He said the state would also get another 1,000 MW from Koodankulam nuclear plant besides power will also be generated by the private sector.

Interestingly, the state government hit out at Centre for lack of transmission lines top transfer power from northern grid to southern grid. “We sought permission to import 500 MW of power from Gujarat but the Centre gave permission for only 230 MW,” the minister said.

Viswanath said there is only one transmission line for the four southern states to receive power from the northern grid which is not adequate. He said the state has sought addition transmission line during the power ministers’ conference. He said currently Power Grid Corporation is constructing a 800 kV transmission link between Raichur in Karnataka and Sholapur in Maharashtra to connect the southern grid with rest of the national grid.

Once, this link is established, the state could get 2,000 MW of additional power, said the minister.

The minister also highlighted the need to focus on renewable energy and urged the private players to take up the initiative. “I ensure you there will be no delay in payments, he said.

Viswanath also assured that transmission line in each substation will have evacuation capacity. “We will also give you permission to sell solar power also,” he said.

The minister also said the state government will be offering subsidies for rooftop solar panels and said that all local body buildings will install solar panels at rooftop. “Even the street light will be energized using solar power,” he said.

State energy secretary Ramesh Khanna said that the state government has prepared a detailed roadmap to make the state a power surplus one. “We have brought out an action plan to expedite all ongoing projects,” he added.

FICCI chairman Rafeeque Ahmed, FICCI TNSC energy panel convenor M Nandakumar, consul general of German Consulate, Chennai Stefan Weckbach spoke on the occasion.