TN government seeks private investments

CHENNAI:  The Tamil Nadu government on Friday called for private investments in electricity generation, transmission and distribution to make the State a power surplus one.Speaking at a seminar on Sustainable Energy for Economic Development here, Minister for Electricity and Prohibition and Excise Natham R Viswanathan said that the State is generating 6,067 MW of wind energy but the irony was that it is left untapped due to lack of infrastructure.“We can’t utilise the wind power, which is 47 per cent of the nation’s output, due to lack of transmission lines and sub-stations,” he said.Charting out the State’s strategy to tide over the  power crisis, he urged the delegates participating in the event organised by the South India Chamber of Commerce India (SICCI) to invest in generation and transmission of power.He said the State is investing `5,000 crore in building 230 KV and 400 KV substations and transmission lines. The Minister said that by August 2012, the State will have no power cuts and will fulfil the industry’s power demand by having an additional 4,640 MW. “You could see the difference now. Power cuts have been reduced from three hours to two hours,” he added.He also said the State is targeting 23,000 MW of power by 2016. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Chairman, Hans Raj Verma, urged the private sector to set up power plants along the coastline.“Although we don’t have coal, we are strategically located near the coast,” he said. Energy Secretary, Ramesh Kumar Khanna, said the State will shortly bring out a comprehensive policy on renewable energy and is seeking the suggestions of individuals and private sector. Meanwhile, the recommendations of the forum was submitted to the Minister, who said it will be taken into account while drafting the State’s policy.