CHENNAI: The Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa laid the foundation for a coal-based 800MW supercritical thermal power project to be set up for Rs 6,376 crore at Athipattu, Tiruvallur district.
The project is to come up on 250 acres at the complex where North Chennai Thermal Power Project I and II are located and is expected to be commissioned in August 2019. This is another step to make Tamil Nadu a power surplus State.
The Chief Minister laid the foundation through the video conferencing facility at the Secretariat on January 29. She handed over the Rs 2,759 crore work order for designing the boiler, turbine, generator for the project to Atul Sobti, managing director, BHEL.
“For first time in Tamil Nadu an 800MW unit is being set up using supercritical technology.
Through this project, 19.2 million units of power would be generated each day and the State would get 6,000 million units a year,” an official press note stated.
The project would be implemented through two packages: boiler, turbine, generator (BTG) package; and the balance of plant (BOP) including all civil works as another package.
Official sources said the aviation clearance for the project was obtained on May 15, 2013 and pre-feasibility report and detailed project report had also been prepared.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests(MoEF) issued the Terms of Reference (ToR) for this project on April 20, 2012. Based on the ToR, draft terrestrial environmental impact assessment study report and marine EIA/EMP report had been finalized. The public hearing was held on March 5, 2015. Following these procedures, the MoEF issued environmental clearance for this project on January 20, 2016.
Besides, the MoU for 2.51 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of imported coal was signed with MMTC on May 25, 2015.
Considering the importance of increasing the supply of electricity for the growth of agriculture and industrial development, the Jayalalithaa government had taken many steps in the power sector such as increasing the generation capacity, strengthening of power infrastructure, erecting new high tension((HT) transmission lines, and improving the distribution network, the press note added.