CHENNAI: The Ennore Special Economic Zone electricity project and stage-three of the North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS) project are being carried out after obtaining clearances from all the departments concerned in State and Union governments, said Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji on Tuesday.
This comes following news reports on pollution in the Ennore river. Express also carried a report highlighting TANGEDCO’s building of an ash pipeline from the NCTPS stage-three plant to the ash pond. This pipeline cuts across the Kosasthalaiyar river and tonnes of construction debris are dumped right next to the river for sinking pillars in the waterbody for the pipeline bridge for, which there is no Coastal Zone Regulation (CRZ) clearance, which is mandatory.
In a statement, V Senthil Balaji said that under the Ennore Special Economic zone project, the 2x660 MW plant has got the permission of the Union Ministry of Environment with a time window for the project given till December 2023. Further, the works are being carried out as per State’s government’s Public Works Department’s Status number 265. “All the required clearances, including a no-objection certificate, were obtained by the department,” he said.
There are also adequate and appropriate pathways for the requirement of the coal and seawater for this project. They are being taken across the land owned by TIDCO from the stage-2 plant. “All the permissions for this were obtained from the Union Environment Ministry, and it is being done under the supervision of the Union Ministry,” the minister said.
He added that once the thermal plant is constructed, the temporary roads, constructed for transporting equipment to the plants, will be removed. He also said that pathways for transporting ash slurry are also being constructed after permission from the Union ministry. The minister said the ash slurry would be transferred from the plant through vehicles.