20120511 India Mettur power plant shut after blaze, Tamil Nadu may feel the pinch
India May 10 2012 “Building” “Other bldg.”
Dead : --- Burnout : --- Injured : ---
Mettur power plant shut after blaze, Tamil Nadu may feel the pinch
Updated: 2012-05-11-05:49
METTUR: In a blow to power-starved Tamil Nadu, the Mettur thermal power station run by the state electricity board was shut down after a conveyor belt carrying coal was destroyed in a fire early on Thursday. One person was killed and two others were seriously injured in the incident.
The open-air conveyor belt carrying coal to a broiler in the first unit of the plant caught fire minutes past midnight and the entire structure supporting it collapsed. The incident forced Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to shut down all four units of the 840MW plant, depriving the state of a crucial part of its power supply when demand is at its peak. But chief minister J Jayalalithaa said the shortfall would be compensated by restarting non-functional units at the Tuticorin and North Chennai thermal power plants.
Making a statement in the assembly, she said, “Steps have been taken on a war-footing to commission the non-functioning units at Tuticorin and north Chennai from today.” The units, which were shut for maintenance, are expected to generate 420MW when they become operational. In addition, 330MW would be purchased from a private power producer in Nagapattinam district. So, against the loss of 840MW, 750MW would be made up, she said.
The CM said the accident took place around 12.30am and nine fire tenders were pressed into service. “The fire was put out in four hours,” she said, adding the conveyor belt was completely damaged. “It will take a month to put things back on track.”
News Source: The Times of India
Date: 11 May, 2012
Country: India