Five units of Tuticorin thermal power plant resume operation after being hit by flood

CHENNAI: All five units of the 1,050 MW Tuticorin Thermal Power Station resumed generation after being severely impacted by last month's flood which caused extensive damages.

The flood caused by heavy rains on December 16 and 17 led to the shutdown of all five units of 210 MW generation capacity each.

A senior Tangedco official said that considering the TTPS located below sea level, the pumping out of the floodwater was a challenging task.

“During the review of the plant, it was found that coal handling areas, switchyard, furnace oil and cooling water channel from the sea were damaged. Ash from the plant washed into the cooling waterways 1 and 2 and it completely blocked the water flow. On the instruction of the Electricity Minister and TANGEDCO CMD, the restoration works began immediately,” the official said.

The official noted that the work on restoration of the cooling water channel was estimated to take two months but it was completed within 15 days.

“Units 4 and 5 resumed power generation on December 31. After which the works on the cooling water channel 1 were taken up and completed on a war footing, and power generation was resumed on units 1 and 3 on January 10. The last unit 2 resumed generation on January 16,” the official said.

A senior official of the TANGEDCO said that all five units in Tuticorin were brought back in the shortest possible time considering the extensive damages caused by the flood.

“It was possible because of the involvement of the board directors and chief engineers of Uppur Thermal Project, Mettur Station I and North Chennai Station I along with TTPS officials,” the official noted.