22-04-2025
Debate on delay of power projects and electricity tariff hike in assembly
Status: cleared
Chennai: The debate on the delay in the execution of power projects and the
electricity tariff hike
echoed through the walls of the assembly on Tuesday as
AIADMK MLAs
and Minister
Senthil Balaji
blamed each other.
AIADMK MLA and former electricity minister 'Natham' Viswanathan said that in 2011, the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa launched projects for 3,136 megawatts to tackle the power crisis. "The Ennore Special Economic Zone Thermal Power Project (1,320 MW) launched during the AIADMK period made little progress, and the Ennore Expansion Project (660 MW) has not even started. The Uppur Thermal Project also met the same fate," he said. The DMK, which opposed the marginal hike in power tariff, increased the tariff manifold in the last four years, he said.
In response, electricity minister V Senthil Balaji said the projects announced during 2006-11 under the then chief minister M Karunanidhi were not completed during the 10-year tenure of the AIADMK regime. "The 800 MW Stage III
North Chennai Thermal Power Station
(NCTPS) should have been completed in 2019," he said. The DMK govt completed the project, and the chief minister M K Stalin inaugurated it in 2024. "The plant generated over 1,238 million units so far," he said.
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Undo
Regarding the tariff hike, Balaji said that the AIADMK govt hiked the tariff up to 56.9% between 2012 and 2014 before it was reduced by 4% ahead of the assembly elections. "In the last four years, the tariff has been hiked only by 30. One crore domestic consumers are still charged zero tariffs," he said.
When AIADMK MLA Senthil Kumar raised a question about the delay of the projects, Minister Senthil Balaji intervened and said the Udankudi Thermal Power Project was 19% completed during the AIADMK regime and it reached 99% completion in the last four years. "The chief minister will soon inaugurate the plant," he said. Similarly, the Kundah Pumped Storage Project, which was 7% complete in 2021, is now 83% complete. The Kollimalai 20 MW project progressed from 24% to 84% four years ago, he added.
He refuted charges that power is purchased at a higher cost. The power demand during the summer was forecast in advance, and power purchases are done in a transparent manner using an open tender method, he said.
Announcements:
- 600 MW new thermal plant in Thoothukudi
- 50,000 new agri services this year
- Overhead cables will be converted into underground supply in temple car streets in Mannargudi, Malaikottai, Chidambaram, etc., at Rs 57 crore
- Underground supply in coastal towns - Cuddalore and Nagapattinam at Rs 490 crore
- 18 new 33/11 kV substations at Rs 215 crore
MSID:: 120522540 413 |
