Senthilbalaji to visit UK, Scotland to study offshore power projects

CHENNAI: Electricity Minister V Senthilbalaji on Sunday said that he would be visiting Scotland and England on a five-day tour to study the viability of offshore wind power projects.

After inspecting the Minnagam, the 24X7 customer service centre, here, the Minister said that he will be accompanied by energy secretary Ramesh Chand Meena, TNEB chairman and managing director Rajesh Lakhani, Tangedco generation director and chief engineers of Non-Conventional Energy Sources.

He said that the chief minister has directed him to find out the viability of the off-shore wind power generation along the state coast by studying those set up in Europe.

The minister's visit has come days after the Union Minister of Power announced that bids would be issued for off-shore wind energy blocks of 4,000 MW every year for three years for the project to be developed in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.

The first bid for 4,000 MW would be called for leasing offshore wind energy blocks equivalent to 4,000 MW off the coast of Rameswaram.

Earlier, Senthilbalaji said that 99.45 per cent of complaints received in the Minnagam which was completed one year on Sunday were solved.

"Since June 20, 2021, the Minnagam which was launched by the chief minister has received 9.16 lakh complaints and solved 9.11 lakh of them," he said, adding that soon Minnagam app would be launched by the chief minister which would allow handling of one lakh calls at a time.

To a question on promoting solar power projects, the minister said that the state had an installed rooftop solar capacity of 220 MW.

"We have added 130 MW rooftop solar capacity in the last year," he said, adding that district-level solar parks are planned. "As per DMK poll promise of 20,000 MW solar capacity addition, we have begun the process of adding 6000 MW solar this year. We have written to district collectors to identify lands. We also appointed consultants to prepare DPR for such projects," he said.