The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Power shortage in State likely to continue

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Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Power shortage in State likely to continue

T. Ramakrishnan

But projection indicates a surplus in next Plan period

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu may have to live with power shortage at least for a few years to come.

The present peak shortage of 1,000 megawatt is likely to go up to about 1,280 MW next year, 1,860 MW in 2010-2011 and fall to nearly 780 MW in 2011-2012, according an Electricity Board official.

A Board projection indicates that power will be surplus in the next Plan period. By the end of the current Plan period (2011-12), the total gross addition will be about 4,250 MW.

Going by the Central Electricity Authority’s norms, the net addition will be around 3,345 MW, the source says.

The net addition will be a little over 2,000 MW in the final period of the current Plan period (2011-2012).

This will be from the expansion projects of the North Chennai and Mettur thermal power stations besides the commissioning of the proposed Vallur and Tuticorin thermal power plants.

In addition to the Moyar Ultimate Stage hydroelectric project, the State will get its share from the Simhadri thermal power plant (Stage II) in Andhra Pradesh. While the Vallur plant is being set up by the NTPC-Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), the Tuticorin plant is an outcome of a joint venture project of the TNEB and the Neyveli Lignite Corporation.

In the current year (2008-2009), the State expects the commissioning of the first unit of the Koodankulam atomic power station (net share: 370 MW) and the next year, the second unit (around 356 MW).

In 2009-2010, the first unit of the NLC thermal station II expansion project will supply about 130 MW and in 2010-2011, the second unit will provide another 130 MW. The Kalpakkam fast breeder reactor unit is expected to supply about 130 MW as Tamil Nadu’s share.

The annual break-up of the net addition is as follows: 2008-2009 – about 500 MW; 2009-2010 – 503 MW; 2010-2011 – 300 MW and 2011-2012 – 2025 MW.

The source says the addition of wind energy and projects proposed through the mode of merchant power plants have not been taken into account while calculating the projections.

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