Jayalalithaa promises end to power cuts in Tamil Nadu from year end

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Chennai: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday said there will be no power cuts from 2013-end with the state set to realise 3,000 MW by then and her government expediting a series of projects.
Replying to a discussion in the Assembly on the Governor’s address to the House, she blamed the previous DMK government for acute power shortage in Tamil Nadu and said during her 2001-06 regime, various power generation projects to the tune of 3095 MW were initiated but the subsequent DMK Government did not proceed with them.
She said the projects were put on fast track after an ’extensive’ review of the power situation since she took over in 2011.
Mentioning that a series of initiatives, including different units of Vallur and Mettur thermal projects and a joint venture with Neyveli Lignite Corporation, which would start producing power at different points of time in the coming months were on, she added, some of them had started doing trial runs.
Out of the total 3,312 MW of electricity from these projects, the state was already getting 375 MW and will receive another 2175 MW by June and 762 MW by year end.
“Further, we will get electricity from the Kundankulam Nuclear Power Plant and the NLC’s Phase-II expansion,” she said, adding that agreements have also been signed to procure 900 MW from private players after June and 500 MW from other states for three years.
Further, tenders will be called for two thermal power projects for 2640 MW and the state will also focus on producing 3000 MW of solar power for its future needs, she said.
While the 2006-11 DMK government had only added 206 MW of installed capacity, the Karunanidhi government during its 1996-2001 stint, had not started any power generation project, she said.
During the final days of the DMK government, the state-run TANGEDCO had suffered a losses of Rs 40,000 crore as on March 31, 2011.