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TN to strengthen power infrastructure with Japanese aid

Friday, 26 April 2013 06:30 administrator
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Business Line                   26.04.2013

TN to strengthen power infrastructure with Japanese aid

Electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure in Tamil Nadu will be strengthened at a cost of Rs 8,000 crore with 56 more sub-stations being set up this year, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly today.

The sub-stations will improve the quality of power in Chennai, industrial hubs in the State and south Tamil Nadu. Wind power evacuation capacity will also be increased.

She also said the State will enter into long-term, 15-year power purchase agreements through the Case-1 bidding route to bridge electricity shortfall.

Stored hydel power

A 2,000 MW pumped storage hydro power project will be established at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore in the Nilgiris, she said. The Sillahalla hydroelectric project will be established in stages over the next 8-10 years.

In the first stage, a 91-metre high reservoir will be created across the Sillahalla, a tributary of Kundah, and linked to the Avalanche-Emerald reservoirs. In the next stage a 2,000-MW underground power station will be set up between the proposed Sillahalla reservoir and Pillur reservoir 1,500 metres below. The power will be generated when the water flows through an underground tailrace tunnel.

Surplus power during off peak hours will be used from various sources to lift the water again to the upper reservoir to generate power during the peak demand period.

The State Government has formulated an Rs 5,000-crore plan to strengthen the transmission and distribution infrastructure with Rs 3,572 crore special funding from Japan. The loan will carry 0.55 per cent interest and can be repaid over 20 years with repayment starting after 10 years.

Global funding

The sub-stations planned with the international funding include five 400 kV sub-stations and related distribution lines with Rs 2,750-crore assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. These are to come up in Chennai and Coimbatore.

Work on setting up 14, 230 kV sub-stations will be started to support power supply in Chennai, Tiruppur, Madurai, Thanjavur, Ariyalur, Virudhunagar, Erode and Kanchipuram districts.

A 400 kV sub-station will come up in Thiruvallam, Vellore district, at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore. This will help Tamil Nadu share power with other Southern States with the Power Grid Corporation setting up a 765 kV in Thiruvallam.

Tamil Nadu has over 7,140 MW of wind power generation capacity. To address the evacuation capacity shortage from wind generation in South Tamil Nadu, Rs 1,230-crore 400 kV sub-stations with 788 km length of transmission lines will be set to evacuate wind power from Coimbatore, Udumalpet, and Theni region. A similar project is on to evacuate power from Kayathar, Tirunelveli district, with a 400 kV sub-station and transmission lines at a cost of Rs 2,300 crore to bring the power to Chennai.

The State Government has a target of setting up 3,000 MW of solar power capacity over the next three years.

The Government hopes to make solar power generation a people’s movement. It had announced an incentive of Rs 2 a unit in the initial two years, Re 1 in the next two years and Rs 0.50 for two more years for those setting up rooftop solar power generation facilities. Following demand for more incentives, the Chief Minister said buyers can now avail themselves of an alternative option to get an incentive of Rs 20,000 a kw.

 

Extended areas of Corporation to get 5 new fire stations

Thursday, 25 April 2013 00:00 administrator
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The New Indian Express                 25.04.2013

Extended areas of Corporation to get 5 new fire stations

Thoraipakkam, Virugambakkam, Madhavaram, Maduravoyal and Velachery are to get new fire stations | File photo
Thoraipakkam, Virugambakkam, Madhavaram, Maduravoyal and Velachery are to get new fire stations | File photo

In a significant step that will go a long way in bolstering infrastructure in newly added areas of the Chennai Corporation, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the State Assembly on Tuesday that new Fire and Rescue Services Stations would be set up in Thoraipakkam, Virugambakkam, Madhavaram and Maduravoyal besides Velachery.

Explaining that the expansion of the Corporation had brought in densely populated urban localities into the fold of the city civic body, Jayalalithaa said the five new stations would come up at a cost of Rs 3.70 crore. Residents in newly included areas like Madipakkam told City Express that the move would be a boon to them.

T K Ravichandran, a resident of Madipakkam recalled a fire accident in Velachery on May 17, 2012. “A huge fire broke out in the backyard generator facility of a BPO company in Velachery, near the MRTS Railway Station. Although fire tenders were rushed quickly, it would have been better had a fire station been there in the locality itself,” he said.

Several other residents like S Mallika said a fire station in Velachery would be of use to neighbourboods nearby. “Madipakkam, Pallikaranai, Keelkattalai, Adambakkam and Mayilai Balaji Nagar would be among the localities that will be benefited,” she pointed out. The facility will especially be of use during the Deepavali festival when fire mishaps are often reported.

V Hari, an employee of a corrugated box factory in Maduravoyal said the announcement was timely. “Maduravoyal is no more a sleepy little residential neighbourhood. With more and more industries and commercial enterprises setting up shop here, the facility would be of immense use,” he said.  Chennai already has 25 fire stations. In suburban areas, there are eight fire stations including Athipattu, Ennore, Tiruvottiyur and Poonamallee. The new facility will help improve infrastructure in the expanded areas of the Corporation, residents hope.

 

More mobile fish stalls for city; fish fest next month

Thursday, 18 April 2013 00:00 administrator
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The Hindu                18.04.2013

More mobile fish stalls for city; fish fest next month

Fishing for salesEight more such vehicles will be procured for the State, and most of these will run in Chennai —Photo: S.S. Kumar
Fishing for salesEight more such vehicles will be procured for the State, and most of these will run in Chennai —Photo: S.S. Kumar

In a boost to a popular facility, the city will soon get more mobile fish stalls. Two such stalls already exist, and sell whole as well as dressed fish across different localities.

Minister for fisheries, K.A. Jayapal, on Wednesday announced that eight more vehicles would be procured at a total cost of Rs. 80 lakh for the State. A majority of these vans would be pressed into service in Chennai, where there are still untapped markets, he said.

Moving the demand for the fisheries department, he said that in order to improve the marketing of hygienic fish and fish products, existing fish markets in Chennai, Coimbatore and Tirupur — being run by the department — would be modernised at a cost of Rs. 36 lakh. There are three such markets in Chennai at Nandanam, Anna Nagar and Adyar.

The city will also get one more State-run restaurant in Neelankarai. At present, there are fish restaurants in Santhome and Nandanam that are run by the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation (TNFDC).

In 2012-13, sales of fish touched 370 tonnes, and peaked on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Sundays alone, two tonnes of fish are sold through various outlets in the city. With the government providing funds for more outlets, sales are likely to increase, he said. This year, the target has been set at 450 tonnes.

The Minister also said that as announced by the Chief Minister recently, a fish festival will be held in Chennai from May 9-12 at the Island grounds. At the festival, a variety of ornamental fish, fresh water fish and marine fish will be displayed. Competitions, including those for aquarium hobbyists as well as for fish food recipes, will be conducted.

For those in the fish processing industry, attractions will include aquaculture inputs, machinery for aquaculture and fish processing and fishing equipment.

A total of Rs. 1 crore will be spent on the festival that is to be conducted in association with the TNFDC and the Tamil Nadu State Apex Cooperative Federation Ltd.

 
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