CHENNAI: After inspecting the ongoing work at the North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS) Stage-III, Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji on Sunday said the station would be ready for commercial use by December.
Interacting with the media, he said that work on NCTPS began in 2010 during the previous DMK regime, and was scheduled to be completed in 2019, but, the previous AIADMK government did not take appropriate action.
Now, the government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin has expedited the work and finished 83 per cent of it, he added. "We plan to have a trial run in September, and the CM will inaugurate the power plant in December."
NCTPS will be Tamil Nadu's first 800 MW single unit, and will consume less coal than other thermal plants, Balaji said, adding that special equipment has been installed to prevent airborne coal dust.
He also pointed out that Tamil Nadu's daily power demand has risen from 14,500 MW to 16,500 MW, and the State's industrial base has grown, making it necessary to upgrade the electricity infrastructure. In the next five years, the State government plans to add a capacity of 6,220 MW to the grid.
Responding to queries, the minister said Tamil Nadu handled the coal crisis better than other States by importing coal at the lowest price of $137. He also said work on solar power projects with a generating capacity of 4,000 MW would commence within four months.
TANGEDCO chairman-cum-MD Rajesh Lakhoni and other officials accompanied the minister during the inspection.