TN govt signs MoU with Ireland co for power plant

Chennai, Mar 21 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu government today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ireland-based McNamara International Private Ltd for setting up a 2,000 MW power plant in the state at Rs 10,000 crore.

The MoU was signed by the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board and the company in the presence of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and Electricity Minister Arcot N Veerasamy at the state Secretariat.

The MoU envisaged setting up the merchant power plant, to be completed in three years, in Nagapattinam district between Karapidagai and Kilapidagai where the lands had been identified for the project.

Since the plant would use imported coal as fuel, it had been decided to set up an offshore port neat Vettaikaran Iruppu village between Pudupalli Vaikkal and Harichandra Nadhi in the district.

The project cost of this captive port would be around Rs 750 crore. The port would have elevated conveyor system to serve coal directly to the power plant, which would handle about 20-40 million tonnes of coal per annum.

The company officials approached the state government and the Maritime Board and submitted a preliminary proposal, following which the in-principle approval for the project was accorded by the Board today to prepare a detailed project report and other studies.

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