Kerala plans additional power generation capacity

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government has drawn up a ten-year perspective plan for the power sector that envisages addition of new generation capacity to the tune of 3,500 MW.

A major share of the additional capacity is to be contributed by the 2,400-MW super thermal project proposed to be set up at Cheemeni in Kasaragod district. The proposal was cleared by the State Cabinet on Wednesday.

The Minister for Electricity, Mr A.K. Balan, said that the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) would jointly float a special purpose vehicle to implement the Cheemeni project.

It would come up on around 2,000 acres now in the possession of the Plantation Corporation of Kerala.

The Minister said that Kerala had obtained mining rights at the Baitharani coalfields in Orissa for equivalent of 1,000 MW and KSEB had floated a joint sector company with the State power utility there to carry out mining.

The question of setting up a pit-head power plant there was under examination.

The share of hydro-electric power in the additional generation capacity planned would be around 500 MW, he said and added that the State was expected to be self-sufficient in power at the end of the ten-year period.