Due to a delay in receiving the necessary approval from Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) faced a loss of several crore rupees without producing 13 lakh units of power at the Suruliyar power station in the Theni district.
The Iranvangalar Dam, which is fed by the Manalaru and Venniaru dams, is used to store the rainwater collected in the Meghamalai Hills in the Theni district.
To generate electricity, a 971-meter pipeline is being built from the Iravangalar dam to the Suruliyar power station in the Vannathipara district.
The late Chief Minister MGR commissioned this power plant in 1978. It is second in Asia at producing energy by extracting water from an elevation.
A generator, imported from Austria, with a capacity of 35MW of power generation, is used to generate power of 4.8 lakh units per day.
The electricity generated here is transported to Kayatharu power station in Thoothukudi district and distributed to other districts. For the same 35 MW of power generated, the power plant in Lower Camp would need up to 400 cubic feet of water, whereas the Suriliyaru power plant only needs 141 cubic feet of water drawn from the Iravangalar Dam.
It was reported that the pipeline connecting Iravangalar Dam and Suriliyaru power station was damaged on September 14, 2021. As a result, power generation was halted, the Suruliyar power plant was shut down, and there has been no power generating for the past 13 months. The production of at least 13 lakh units of power has been disrupted.
According to the officials, it has been constantly raining for the past few months, and the water has been squandering into the sea without producing any electricity.
It was reported that the TNEB officials could not start the repair of the pipeline as it requires approval from the Electricity Minister. Additionally, the work could not begin quickly since welding cannot be done in the rainy season. Local residents have urged that the Tamil Nadu government should take steps to start the repair work and generate electricity as soon as possible.
(With inputs from Dinamalar)
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