THOOTHUKUDI: Environmentalists have opposed Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's August 30 announcement to establish a super critical thermal power plant of 800x2 MW, worth Rs 20,800 crore, in Thoothukudi stating it contradicts Tamil Nadu's road map to reduce carbon emission.
G Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal, said the ash pond of the five-decade old Thoothukudi thermal power station has become full and alleged that slurry is being dumped into the sea, which is a serious environmental violation. "There will be no space for an ash pond if a new plant is built. This will affect the fishery and the fishing activity," he said.
Sundarrajan added that India has set a target of zero carbon emission by 2070 while Tamil Nadu has committed to achieve it by 2050. To reach this, Tamil Nadu plans to meet 50% of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030, he said.
Further, he pointed out that the previous DMK government had taken a policy decision not to build new thermal power projects due to environmental issues, but complete the ongoing projects.
Prabakaran Veera Arasu, environmental engineer, Poovilagin Nanbargal, said the existing thermal power plants should be phased out if Tamil Nadu were to achieve net zero emission target. "Tamil Nadu requires 16,000 MW on an average in a day, and the requirement hits 21,000 MW during peak summer. Tamil Nadu has installed capacity to produce 32,000 MW electricity from various sources, including 18,000 MW from renewable sources," he added.
Instead of building new plants, the government should address issues in transmission of electricity produced out of solar panels, and focus on technologies such as battery storage, he added.
The TVK opposed Ennore thermal power plant in 2025, however, has proposed a new plant after coming to power, said Prabakaran.
