Tamil Nadu to invest Rs 3,500 cr in Nagapattinam

Plans re-gasification unit, deep water port, power plant in the southern district

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (Tidco) will invest Rs 3,500-crore in a re-gasification unit, deep water port and a gas-based power plant. The announcement comes at a time when the state government had asked GAIL not to proceed with its Rs 3,000-crore pipeline project, which will connect Kerala with Karnataka via southern districts of the state.

Making a statement in the Assembly on Tuesday, chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said a mega industrial investment plan comprising deep water port, floating storage re-gasification unit and a 500 Mw gas-based power plant would be set up by Tidco in the southern district of Nagapattinam with an investment of Rs 3,500-crore.

The proposed GAIL lay pipeline was to cover seven southern districts of the state but was the state government refused permission after local farmers protested.

The other gas-based power project announced by the state is based on Indian Oil Corporation's LNG terminal project in north Chennai.

During March last year, IOC had signed an MoU with Tidco to invest around Rs 10,000 crore to set up an LNG terminal at Ennore. The state government said it is planning to set up the gas-based power plant near the terminal with a capacity of 500 Mw.