Availability of electricity in Tamil Nadu is set to improve in the next few days as the crippled 600 MW thermal power station at Mettur, currently shut down, is likely to be put back in operation in a few days.
Leakage of hydrogen gas from the generator due to leaky seals resulted in the shut-down of the year-old plant on March 8. Some experts termed the leak as “teething problems”.
The thermal power station, owned by the state electricity generation and distribution utility, Tangedco, was constructed by BGR Energy with equipment from Dongfang of China.
When the plant was shut down, it had generated 15.8 million kWhr of electricity in March. A 600 MW plant, when it runs to full capacity, could generate more than 500 million units of electricity.
For comparison, 600 MW the North Chennai Thermal Power Plant of Tangedco, produced 508 million units of electricity in March. Sources in BGR said that it takes a fortnight to let the generator cool down to the point where repair works could be carried on.
Better summer? One more factor supports the contention that this summer would be a better one for the residents of the State.
The Kudankulam nuclear power plant, which generated 362 million units in March, is likely to produce more in April, when its capacity would be raised from the current 75 per cent to at least 90 per cent.
If the rains help, the State could do a repeat of last year. The hydro power stations in the state generated 5 billion units in 2013-14, compared with 2.8 billion units in the year before.