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Trifurcation of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) into generation, distribution and transmission circles is an inevitable process, said TNEB chairman C P Singh.He told reporters that the Board was firm on carrying out the trifurcation. The Electricity Act 2003 also emphasised on trifurcation. The process was delayed only because of Lok Sabha elections.To a question, he said the present power cuts would continue as demand-supply gap was nearly 1,000 MW. Nearly Rs 35,000-crore worth projects were sanctioned recently and it would add nearly 6,200 MW power by 2016, he said.
“Power deficit at national level is nearly 20 per cent and it is about 13-15 per cent in Tamil Nadu. The per capita consumption of power is 635 units at national level and the aim of the Centre is to hike it to 1,000 units. But in the State it is already 1,003 units,” he noted.
Singh said power shortages would only worsen as the Centre was planning to give free power to all those below poverty line before December 2009. In Tamil Nadu, there are 16 lakh connections and 5.4 lakh BPL families of which 2 lakh were given free supply.
He refused to comment on long-pending Hogenekkal hydro project stating that it was an inter-state issue and was linked to Cauvery tangle.
Hoping that the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) staff strike would not hit power supply in the State, he said the 30-MW Erode Vendipalayam barrage project, costing Rs 400.59 crore, would be completed by September 2010 and 30-MW Erode Basur barrage project, costing Rs 396, by March 2011.
He said seven barrages in Cauvery river from Mettur dam was now producing 29 MW, though each had a capacity of 30 MW, due to low discharge of (800 cusecs per second) water in the river from Mettur dam. The sanctioned power projects in Tamil Nadu are (in MW): North Chennai 1,200, Vallur 1,500, Metur 500, Udankudi 1,600, Thuthukudi 1,800, small projects 160, besides 234 in 17 sugar mills. From Kudankulam Nuclear power plant, the State would get 964 MW, he said.
Source- Indian Express
