Electricity minister Natham R. Viswanathan on Wednesday said power cuts in TN would come to an end by June next year after the commissioning of the ongoing power projects.
“We will get additional 4,500 MW by June next year through the commissioning of the thermal power projects at Vallur, North Chennai and Mettur and Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant besides through purchasing of power from private generators,” Mr Viswanathan said while addressing at the Energy – 2012: Vision 2023 “New Era of Sustainable Energy Management” organised by FCCI here.
Blaming the previous DMK government for the present power situation in the state, he said though the power demand had been going up by seven to eight per cent every year, no new power projects were commissioned to meet the demand.
He appealed to the private sector to invest in power projects in the state.
Mr Viswanathan reassured the private sector that grid connected solar power producers in the state can be confident of timely tariff payments and evacuation. Tangedco will soon be calling for bids from solar power generators to enter into long-term power purchase agreements with it.
“The utility has interacted with potential investors and their concerns will be addressed. It is committed to making timely tariff payments and provide the evacuation infrastructure. Additional evacuation capacity will be created wherever needed,” he said.
Energy secretary Ramesh Kumar Khanna said solar energy policy not only supported generation but would also drive demand as the government had mandated six per cent solar purchase obligation from January 2014.