Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday unveiled a slew of schemes to boost the State's industrial growth, including a 500-MW power project making use of the gas from the Kochi-Bangalore regassified LNG (liquefied natural gas) pipeline in the first phase.
“The project cost is Rs 2000 crore,” Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said while making a suo motu statement in the Assembly.
She said the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) and GAIL (India) Limited would set up a joint-venture company for the purpose. The project would be expanded in five years and around Rs 10,000 crore would be invested.
Ms Jayalalithaa said GAIL had started laying pipeline for the Kochi-Bangalore project and 310 km of pipeline would run through Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, Tirupur, Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri.
“GAIL will supply gas for industries and domestic consumption through this pipeline. This project will be implemented at a cost of Rs 1000 crore,” she said.
Moreover, a pipeline to carry six million cubic metres of gas from the terminal in Salem up to Cuddalore will be laid at a cost of Rs 500 crore.
The Chief Minister also announced a Rs 2,500-crore Floating Storage Degasification Unit off the Southern Coast.
Ms Jayalalithaa said the Vision 2023 document envisaged setting up of liquid gas terminals and gas distribution pipelines and two terminals with five million tonne annual capacity to fulfil the energy requirements of the state would be necessary.
“Already TIDCO and Indian Oil Corporation had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to set up a gas terminal at Kattupalli in Tiruvallur district, which is expected to become functional in 2016. Since pipelines are essential to supply the gas, TIDCO and GAIL have signed a pact on May 10,” she said.
Ms Jayalalithaa said new production centres for creating high quality infrastructure, general infrastructure and atmosphere for competitive trading would come up on 1500 acres in Ottapidaram in Tuticorin district, 2000 acres in Katrampakkam in Vellore district and 4000 acres in Hosur. A special purpose vehicle would be created for managing these production centres.
Recalling her government's proposal to improve the roads in Ennore Port and a new North Port Access Road to facilitate export of goods from Orgadam, she said a heavy engineering industries hub would be set up near these roads. The Chief Minister said SIPCOT had been taking steps to acquire 20,000 acres of land to provide land to entrepreneurs with adequate infrastructure.
