The over five-decade-old Thermal Power Station-I of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation, where an accident claimed the life of an engineer on Tuesday, is being run on the demand of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), according to NLC Chairman-cum-Managing Director B. Surender Mohan.
Mr. Mohan told The Hindu that to tide over the power shortage in Tamil Nadu, TPS-I was being operated.
TPS-I has nine units — six units of 50 MW each and three units of 100 MW each.
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The main beneficiaries of the power from these units are Tamil Nadu, and to a certain extent, the Union Territory of Puducherry. These units have been established with Russian expertise over eight years, from May 1962 to September 1970.
Ever since, electricity generated from the plant was being fed into the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (now Tangedco). In March 1992, the life extension programme was carried out in the plant at a cost of Rs. 315.23 crore. The work was completed in March 1999.
Mr. Mohan said the plant was expected to be in operation till 2017. Asked whether the age of the unit could have been the reason for the steam-pipe burst, Mr. Mohan said the real cause would be known only after a committee of NLC executives completed its study.
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However, he underscored that a committee of experts had been periodically carrying on the residual life assessment of the plant and issuing guidelines for maintenance. Their suggestions were being scrupulously followed and implemented.
Asked whether the plant would be decommissioned in the aftermath of the accident and a new plant erected, Mr. Mohan said the NLC Board of Directors had approved the tapering down of power generation to 300 MW this year and a gradual shut-down of the remaining units.
Mr. Mohan said the Centre sanctioned 2x500 MW Neyveli New Thermal Plant (NNTP) in June 2011, and orders had been placed with the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. for fabrication of equipment. “The 1,000-MW NNTP plant would be in place by 2017 when the 600-MW TPS-I plant would be dismantled.”
Two stablePuducherrry Staff
Reporter reports:
The two NLC employees who suffered minor injuries in the steam-pipe burst were treated at the Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences.
Balamurugan, 53 and Jyoti, 43, were initially treated in the emergency ward of the hospital by Ali Hasan Karnam and his team. “They are most likely feeling nauseous as they may have inhaled fumes. They are stable otherwise,” Dr. Karnam said.
Later in the day, Jyoti was discharged and Balaraman was shifted to the general ward.