The Tamil Nadu government, along with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), is planning to add 4,300 mega watt (Mw) power by 2011-12, with an investment of Rs 22,272 crore. The upcoming four projects in the state are expected to address the current power scarcity in the state, which is in the order of of 1488 Mw.
Two power plants (600 Mw each) will come up in North Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 5,813 crore. The state government had laid the foundation stone in July 2007 and the phase-I of the project for setting up 600 Mw project worth Rs 2,475 crore was awarded to BHEL in January 2008.
Construction at the site started in February 2008 and the project is expected to be completed in February 2011.
Works of phase-II (another 600 Mw plant), which would need Rs 2,175 crore, have been awarded to the same company and is expected to be complete in August 2011.
A 600-Mw thermal power plant in coming in Mettur at an estimated cost of Rs 3,550 crore. Chennai-based BGR Energy Systems is implementing the project on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis and is likely to be completed in October 2011 (39 months).
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and TNEB are setting up a 3X500 Mw power plant on about 1,000 acre at Vallur in Tiruvallur district, 50 km from Chennai.
The estimated cost of the project is about Rs 8,000 crore. It was initiated in 2003 and had secured environment clearance from the ministry of environment and forest for the phase-I project.
The TNEB and Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC), through a joint venture, are setting up a thermal power plant at Tuticorin with an investment of Rs 4,909 crore.