The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Uranium shortage, chaotic monsoon cause of power crisis: Minister

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Monday, Aug 25, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Uranium shortage, chaotic monsoon cause of power crisis: Minister

C. Jaishankar

Kalpakkam and Kaiga plants not operating to their capacity

“Power scenario will improve in the coming weeks”
“Efforts taken to make existing plants fully operational”

RAMANATHAPURAM: A combination of factors, including shortage of uranium for nuclear plants and chaotic southwest monsoon, are responsible for the severest power crisis in South India, Union Minister of State for Power and Commerce Jairam Ramesh has said.

He told The Hindu at Sivaganga on Saturday that erratic rainfall was the main reason for the crisis. Water level in reservoirs where several power plants were located had gone up thanks to the revival of monsoon in the last one week.

The nuclear power plants at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and Kaiga in Karnataka were operating only at 50 per cent of their capacity due to uranium shortage. Besides, power generation at the Neyveli power plant, one of the biggest in the country, was not good due to delay in commissioning of additional mines, Mr. Ramesh said.

Mr. Ramesh said the proposed project to generate 500 MW at Bellary should have started a year ago. It was now expected that it would start production by the end of August.

He said Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala were experiencing the severest power crisis.

Asked about the problem in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Ramesh said: “I know there are power cuts and load shedding in the State. However, when compared to other southern States, Tamil Nadu has not been affected badly. The peaking position in Kerala is very bad.”

Expressing the hope that the power scenario would improve in the coming weeks, he said all efforts were being made to make existing plants fully operational.

Asked about the progress of work on the Koodankulam plant, the Minister said it was in full swing with the arrival of fuel from Russia.

Koodankulam unit I was expected to start commercial production by March 2009 and the second unit by December 2009.

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