TN seeks entire power from KNPP 3, 4 units

Tamil Nadu, which has been allocated with 1,125 MW of power from the first two units of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, has requested the Centre to allocate the entire power generated from the third and fourth units of the plant.

Speaking at the Power Ministers Conference in Delhi on Wednesday, Electricity Minister P. Thangamani requested the Union Power Minister to allocate the entire 2,000 MW from the third and fourth units of KNPP, considering the “extraordinary lengths” the State government went to ensure the commissioning of the power project at Kudankulam.

Referring to the loss suffered by the power infrastructure in cyclone Vardah, which hit Chennai in December last, the Minister said there was a proposal to undertake several improvements works as a permanent measure in order to mitigate the effects of damages in future.

This includes conversion of 230 kv transmission overhead lines into 230 kV underground cables. He further requested the Centre to release Rs.17,000 crore either as grant or as soft loan through REC or PFC for carrying out the improvement works.

The Minister reiterated the State government’s request for a dedicated green energy corridor to expedite the bidding process for establishing Cheyyur Ultra Mega Power Project by modifying the bidding documents for Cheyyur for utilization of domestic coal. “A coal block may also be allotted for this project,” he said.

He also urged the Centre to abolish the frequency linked penalty during high wind season and to exempt seawater thermal power plants from Environment Ministry’s notification over specific water consumption for power plants.

Since TANGEDCO has stopped the procurement of imported coal and opted for domestic coal and the Indian coal realisation was as low as 58%, it was “hard to run for full load operation during the peak summer demand,” the Minister said.