The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Sanction for 15 more power plants shortly, says Minister

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Sunday, Apr 13, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Sanction for 15 more power plants shortly, says Minister

Special Correspondent

They will be under the mode of merchant power plants: Arcot N. Veeraswami

CHENNAI: The State government will, in a couple of months, sanction 15 more power projects under the mode of merchant power plants, Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veeraswami said here on Saturday.

The projects would have aggregate capacity of 14,600 megawatt (MW). “So far, we have granted permission for 15 companies under the merchant power project to generate 17,400 MW,” he said, adding 8,000 MW would be generated through ultra mega projects and 7,200 MW through the State government projects.

The total capacity addition would be 50,000 MW by 2012 from various sources including renewable energy, the Minister told a special plenary session on ‘Industrialisation and Infrastructure,’ at the TN Vision Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Ambitious venture

The country’s current energy deficit was estimated at 100,000 MW. Tamil Nadu would generate 50,000 MW to reduce it by 50 per cent. The generated power would be sold to other States after connecting the existing 66 KV, 110 KV and 220 KV transmission lines to the southern grid in Bangalore. From Bangalore, the power would be distributed to the Northern, Eastern and Western grids.

He said German firms had come forward to supply the latest equipment to India for generating power using solar energy at a reduced cost. It would cost Rs.22 crore to produce 1 MW of power in India. With the help of the German equipment, this could be done at Rs.14 crore.

Tamil Nadu would be the first State in the country to launch online computerised billing system at a cost of Rs.778 crore. About 90 per cent work had been completed.

To ensure hassle-free distribution of power, the Minister said 60 sub-stations in the State would be inter-connected through a computer system. As of now, 75 per cent of work had been completed. “Very soon power can be transmitted from Kanyakumari to Chennai seamlessly.”

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board would earn around Rs.1,000 crore by selling l,500 MW of power through wind energy to West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh from May 15 to December 31, 2008. From May 15, the State would also sell power to the Power Trading Corporation at Rs.7 per unit as against the existing rate of Rs.5.02.

The Minister said seven minor ports would be set up in various areas, including Tuticorin, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Cheyur, Marakanam, Thirukadaiyur and Ennore. “These will help energy producers to import coal with only 4-6 per cent fly ash content from Indonesia and Australia as Indian coal contains 40 per cent fly ash.”

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