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Poor Capacity Stalls Power Purchase

  • Power-hungry Tamil Nadu is gearing up to shop for electricity, but the state faces another problem - poor transmission network between the southern and northern grids - that hampers its ability to distribute the power it purchases. Tamil Nadu has blamed the Union government for not taking serious steps to upgrade transmission facilities that would bring power to the state."The infrastructure facilities should have been improved a decade ago. All the states have power problems. We have been repeatedly urging the Centre to take the necessary steps. The issue was even addressed during the power ministers' conference organized by the Union government," said state electricity minister Natham R Vishwanathan.
  • Over the last four months, Tamil Nadu has been purchasing 500MW of power per day from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL). But the state has not been able to transmit all the purchased power due to poor capacity of the transmission lines of the central grid."The transmission capacity between the northern and souther n g rid is only 2,000MW. All the four states in the south, besides the Union territory of Puducherry, are facing an acute power situation. So we are receiving only 235MW of electricity a day from Gujarat," Viswanathan told TOI. Tamil Nadu has purchased power at the rate of 4.50 per unit.
  • The state is also purchasing 100MW a day from private players on long-term agreements. "Though we plan to buy 500MW from northern states, we have no facility to transmit the power due to poor infrastructure," say power managers in the state. The minister, however, claimed there was some good news too with the power situation in the state set to improve from the second week of May. "We will get 300 MW in March and 300 MW in May. Besides, we will get 600 MW from the Vallur Thermal power plant from June and 600 MW more power from August from the North Chennai Thermal power plant," the minister said.
  • Tamil Nadu, he asserted, would be power surplus in 2014. "Under Amma's visionary rule, the power crisis would be resolved soon. There will be no power cut in 2013 and we would have surplus power in 2014," he said. Sources in the secretariat said chief minister J Jayalalithaa has given her full attention to the power issue. "She has instructed the finance department to arrange for more funds to purchase power from other sources," a senior official said.

Pulling Out All The Stops

  • During the last four months, TN has been buying 500MW of electricity per day from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam However, the state has been able to use only 235MW per day due to poor infrastructure The transmission network between the northern and southern grids is clogged. It can transmit only 2,000MW of electricity

Power deficit :

  • 3,500 - 4,000MW
  • No. of private power producers:
  • 20
  • Power generated by private players:
  • 800MW

Power bought last year:

  • 1,500 - 2,000MW
  • Amount TNEB owes to state power suppliers:
  • 10,000 cr
  • With a series of power plants to be commissioned, TN is hoping for brighter days ahead
  • Mettur: 600MW(300MW in March and 300MW in May)
  • Vallur: 600MW in June
  • North CHENNAI: 600MW in August
  • Wind Energy: 3,000MW from May

Source