Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Damage control under way at NLC

By S.Dorairaj

CUDDALORE SEPT .6. Even as the Neyveli Lignite Corporation has ordered a high-level inquiry into Wednesday's fire at the thermal power station (TPS)-II, , expert teams have commenced re-erection of the main conveyor, which was badly damaged.

The NLC Chairman and Managing Director, S.Jayaraman, and all the Directors had camped at the site.

The NLC managed to revive 50 MW generation by manual loading with the support of oil burners at one of the seven units of the TPS-II with 210 MW each, on Thursday, they said. Efforts were on to generate an additional 50 MW by lighting up another unit of the same plant.

The damaged portion of the conveyor belt, 500 metres, with steel structres fixed to it, were replaced.

Despite the enormity of the work, the job would be completed in about ten days, the sources said.

There was an estimated generation loss of 1100 MW due to the mishap.

Though the plant had an installed capacity of 1470 MW, around 1200 MW was generated, as normally one of the seven units was shutdown for maintenance.

The overall generation loss could be made up by reducing the shutdown period for maintenance, they said.

The impact of the accident at the public sector unit was already felt, as the TPS-II, the largest lignite-fired thermal power station in the country with an installed capacity of 1470 MW, has been a major source of power to all southern States.

Power generated at the NLC is being shared by Tamil Nadu (32.19 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (20.22 per cent), Karnataka (14.52 per cent), Kerala (11.17 per cent) and Pondicherry (5.84 per cent), apart from 100 MW for its own consumption.

The remaining 220 MW is shared by the SREBs from time to time, according to official sources.

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