Review transmission reliability margin: Jayalalithaa

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the power ministry and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL) to review transmission reliability margin fixed at 750 mw.

In a letter to Modi, the text of which was released here, Jayalalithaa requested for his urgent intervention to advise the power ministry and the PGCIL to consider the long-term access application of power suppliers to Tamil Nadu for transmission capacity at the earliest.

"The ministry of power and PGCIL may also be directed to review the transmission reliability margin so that Tamil Nadu can get its rightful share of long term access," she said.

According to Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd. (TANGEDCO) has singed 15 year power purchase agreement for 3,330 mw with private power companies.

Of this, 2,158 mw is contracted from power producers located outside the southern region.

"These suppliers have applied for long term access from November 2013 to January 2014 to the PGCIL, the designated central transmission utility," she said.

Pointing out to Modi, the commissioning of Sholapur-Raichur inter-regional transmission lines with a capacity of 4,000 mw, Jayalalithaa said the PGCIL has declared a transfer capability of only 1,450 mw now taking into account a transmission reliability margin of 750 mw.

She said the allocation of additional 377 mw power given by the government of Delhi to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala up to March 2015 over the present allocation of 316 MW.

She said this would adversely affect availing transmission capacity under long term access by Tamil Nadu.

"I am of the considered view that this temporary allocation of power by the ministry of power should not curtail the genuine long term access entitlement of Tamil Nadu," she said.

The state government had earlier said 1,500 mw power will flow to the state from August onwards from the 3,330 mw contracted with the private parties and the balance from next fiscal onwards.