Tamil Nadu is set to wipe out power shortage and emerge a power surplus State by 2014, State Electricity Minister Natham Viswanathan said here on Wednesday.
Stating that the energy requirement at present was 12,000 MW against the generation of 8,000 MW, the Minister said this shortage of 4,000 MW was the cause for the present power crisis.
He was speaking at the second edition of the four-day electrical and industrial electronics trade fair – Elekrotec 2013, organised jointly by NSIC and Codissia at the Codissia Trade Fair Ground here.
He said, “the present power crisis is only temporary. It would soon disappear as a range of new power plants are scheduled to be commissioned in the coming months. Completion of the projects by 2013 will see Tamil Nadu out of its present power problems.”
The Government is striving to make every existing power plant more efficient, looking to commission the proposed projects ahead of schedule and augment an additional 7 per cent power to the existing capacities annually.
“This will ensure that we do not have a situation of power shortage in future as the demand mounts with development.”
“We will look to add 1,000 MW every year,” he said elaborating on the projects that were in different stages of completion.
“The generation of 600 MW from Mettur has already started; the trial run is over and plant commissioned. In Vallur, the first of the three units with a generation capacity of 500 MW each was commissioned in December; the second unit is due to be commissioned in February and the last by end-May. In North Chennai, two units with a generation capacity of 600 MW are to be commissioned. The first of the two will go on steam by end February, and the next by May- June. In all we will be able to generate 3,312 MW of power before the end of this year,” the Minister added.
In his presidential address, C.K. Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME, urged the entrepreneurs here to grab the opportunities that came their way and explore the potential.
“The issue most MSMEs face is in having access to finance and technology support. There are huge opportunities in defence option and procurement. Grab this ready demand, follow international processes and standard to sustain,” he said.
The Chairman and Managing Director of TEDA Sudeep Jain hailed TN’s position in renewable energy and wind energy in particular. “Against the national average of 12 per cent renewable energy TN has 44 per cent renewable energy installations.”
The State has ignited the solar energy space as well with a target of 3,000 MW (in solar) by 2015.
With 3 lakh solar home lighting system and one lakh solar street lights to be completed by 2014-15, the solar evolution is soon to become a people’s movement, said Jain.