The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Windmill spare parts units to come up at Nanguneri

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 02, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Windmill spare parts units to come up at Nanguneri

Special Correspondent

Government to earmark 1,000 acres for Rs. 4,000-crore project

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government will earmark 1000 acres in the hi-tech industrial park at Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district to set up units to manufacture windmill spare parts, Minister for Electricity and Rural Industries N. Veerasamy informed the Assembly on Tuesday.

They would be set up with foreign investment, he said while replying to the debate on the demand for the Energy department. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi recently took up the issue with the Centre.

Stating that Tamil Nadu was a pioneer in wind energy, Mr. Veerasamy said the government wanted to achieve more progress in the sector.

It had urged the Centre to provide tax concessions and other assistance to enable the Rs.4000-crore project to come up in three years.

Mr. Veerasamy said efforts would be made to bring down the transmission loss to 15 per cent from the existing 18 per cent. They would help the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board save Rs.450 crore. The Central Electricity Authority had fixed a maximum of 15.5 per cent transmission loss.

Meters would be installed on one lakh out of the 1.60 lakh transformers in the State before September 30 in the first phase to detect areas affected by transmission loss and power theft. The successful experiment of computer-based power failure redressal centres in Chennai would be extended to Salem, Tirunelveli, Erode, Nagercoil and Vellore.

Since the TNEB's revenue deficit was estimated to be Rs.1,998.09 crore during 2006-2007, he requested the members not to demand extension of the free power scheme to more areas. The government was providing a subsidy of Rs.1,529.71 crore on it.

Orders linking 50 per cent of the dearness allowance with the basic pay for TNEB employees would be issued shortly, he said.

The anticipated demand for power during 2006-2007 would be around 9200 MW. This would be met from the existing generating capacity and from capacity additions, besides getting the State's share of 750 MW from the Koodangulam Atomic Power Project.

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