Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced setting up of a 2,000 MW hydel power station in Nilgiris district at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore and a series of power infrastructure development projects worth Rs 14,350 crore.
Making a suo moto statement in the State Assembly on Thursday, Jayalalithaa unveiled projects that will strengthen power distribution, infrastructure, transmission corridor, setting up new electricity sub stations, procurement plan for electricity and transformers, subsidy for solar rooftop installations and building high and low tension transmission lines. Stating that the hydel project would be implemented in two phases, the CM said it would be an underground power station at Sillahalla in Nilgiris and would take 8 to 10 years for commissioning.
To buttress the electricity infrastructure and transmission network, a plan has been devised at an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore with financial assistance of Rs 3,752 crore from a Japanese enterprise, she informed the House.
Also, at a cost of Rs 8,000 crore, a total of 56 sub-stations (400 KV at 10 places, 230 KV at 16 locations, 110 KV at 19 towns, and 33 KV at 11 neighbourhoods) would be set up in various parts of the State.
“To offset shortage up to 85 per cent, 1,000 MW electricity will be procured on a long term basis for 15 years through case-1 bidding,” she noted.
Announcing an investment subsidy of Rs 20,000 for a kilo volt (or generation linked incentive that she had announced earlier alongside Centre’s 30 per cent subsidy) for domestic power consumers who install solar panels at rooftops for power generation, she said 10,000 consumers would be benefited in the first phase.
Pointing out that only less than 10,000 transformers were being procured annually, she said an unprecedented 20,000 transformers at a cost of Rs 500 crore would be procured now to overcome shortage.
High and Low Tension power transmission lines for a length of 15,000 km at a cost of Rs 850 crore would be laid, she added.