Deccan Chronicle 26.04.2013
Tamil Nadu plans Rs 7,000 crore underground hydel power station
Chennai: In an effort to address power woes of the
state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday said the
government planned a Rs 7,000 crore underground hydel power station in
Nilgiris district besides the ongoing related schemes, which in all will
cost over Rs 20,000 crore.
The first unit of North Chennai
Thermal Power plant, third unit of Vallur project and 2x 500 MW each of
Tuticorin Power project would start generating power between next month
and March 2014, she told the state Assembly.
Making a suo motu
statement, she said works towards other major power generation projects
have been expedited with international tenders called for the proposed
660 MW Ennore project, the 2×660 MW Ennore SEZ Project and 2×660 MW
Udankudi Thermal Power Projects.
Work is on at the 2×800 MW power project at Uppur in Ramanathapuram district, she added.
Jayalalithaa
proposed the Sillahalla 2000 MW underground power station at Nilgiris
district which will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 7000 crore. The
project will be completed in two phases in 8-10 years.
Explaining
the technical aspects, she said a 2.25 tmcft water storage reservoir
would be created on river Sillahalla, a tributary of Kundah and
connected to the Avalanche-Emerald reservoirs. A 2750 metre tunnel would
be established for this purpose.
In the second phase, another
2000 MW hydel power station would be set up using the 1500 metre height
between Sillahalla and Pillur reservoirs, she said.
Surplus power
from windmills and thermal and nuclear units at night would be utilised
to draw water to the upper storage facility, which would be used to
produce power during peak demand times, she added.
