Mumbai, Sept. 3 -- Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced a Transmission Improvement Scheme worth Rs 330.66 billion (Rs 330.66 bn) to upgrade the state power network. The programme will finance construction of 196 new substations and the laying of 15,000 kilometres of power lines across Tamil Nadu. The plan was unveiled in the Assembly under Rule 110 and is intended to modernise transmission capacity to support rising consumption and reduce outages.
He said the five ageing 210 megawatt (MW) coal units at the Thoothukudi Thermal Station will be replaced in phases by a new 1,600 MW supercritical thermal plant. The replacement plant will comprise two units of 800 MW each and is planned on a public-private partnership basis at the existing complex at an estimated cost of Rs 208 billion (Rs 208 bn). The current station's combined installed capacity is 1,050 MW and the units were commissioned from 1979 onwards.
He noted that Tamil Nadu remained a leading state in renewable energy, with a focus on wind and solar power and on battery energy storage. The chief minister acknowledged that renewable sources are not available continuously and uniformly and that battery storage technology is being developed to store surplus renewable power for use during periods of high demand. He said that despite advances, the existing infrastructure may not be sufficient to ensure round-the-clock supply.
He indicated transmission networks will be strengthened to meet regional demand and that a separate Rs 17.62 billion (Rs 17.62 bn) programme will upgrade Chennai distribution. The Chennai programme will include 36 new 33/11-kV substations and the installation of distribution transformers, and will replace damaged and ageing cables, conductors, pillar boxes and circuit breakers that have completed their service life. The government also announced plans for a semiconductor and electronics manufacturing park at Maduranthagam, a multi-modal logistics hub in Tiruchirappalli and a digital finance centre in Coimbatore.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.