Several coal-fired thermal power projects with an aggregate capacity of 3,450 MW are expected to be commissioned in Tamil Nadu in the current financial year, according to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), the executing agency.
The projects are Vallur Thermal Power Project (two units of 500 mega watt each - 1,000 MW); North Chennai Thermal Power Station [NCTPS] (two additional units of 600 MW - 1,200 MW), Tuticorin thermal power project, jointly implemented by the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) and the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) (1,000 MW) and Neyveli Thermal Power Station - II Expansion (one unit of 250 MW).
Of the total power projects of 22,596 MW capacity to be executed by this organisation in the region, Tamil Nadu alone would account for 6,920 MW. Besides the southern States, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh formed part of the region, A.K. Ghosh, General Manager, Power Sector-Southern Region, BHEL, said on Saturday.
During 2011-2012, the BHEL commissioned seven units, including one each in Vallur and Neyveli.
The second additional unit of the NCTPS would be commissioned earlier than the first unit, as the generator stator, meant for the first unit, fell into a riverbed in Madhya Pradesh while being transported from BHEL's Hardwar unit. Regarding delay in the completion of power projects in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Ghosh said that the projects were running behind schedule not only in Tamil Nadu but also elsewhere in the country because of problems in land acquisition and delay in project clearance.
On the performance of thermal stations established by the BHEL in the just-concluded financial year, he said the plant load factor (PLF) of the thermal stations at Mettur was 92.3 per cent, Neyveli Stage 2 was 86.3 per cent and NCTPS was 85.8 per cent.
