TN lines up power projects worth Rs 16,350cr

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday clarified the state government had proposed to implement new power projects totaling Rs 16,350 crore in the coming years.

Under the proposed investments, the state is implementing the Sillahalla hydel power project at Nilgiris at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore besides setting up 56 sub-stations at an expenditure of Rs 8,000 crore.

The government would spend Rs 500 crore on installing 20,000 new transformers and another Rs 850 crore for laying high and low tension power transmission lines across a stretch of 15,000 km, she told the Assembly.

When fully completed, the state is expected to become power-surplus from a deficit of 4,000 Mw a day at present.

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board was facing a debt of Rs 53,000 crore when the AIADMK assumed power, she said, adding, in the last two years, the state government had commenced projects aggregating 606.5 Mw besides announcing major expansion projects at Ennore, Udangudi, and Ramanathapuram.

The new projects would cater to 85 per cent of the current shortage and the remaining 1000 Mw will have to be purchased from the open market for the next 15 years, she said.