CHENNAI: The commissioning of the first unit of the North Chennai Thermal Power Extension Project (2 x 600 MW) is unlikely to see the light of the day even by the revised deadline of February next. It is likely to be commissioned only by June 2012, which is a year behind the schedule. The project is facing hurdles in bringing key mega-size equipment from the BHEL facility in Haridwar besides trouble from certain anti-social elements, who are allegedly preventing work at the site near Ennore here.Originally scheduled to go on stream this May, the first unit commissioning was postponed several times. The present deadline of TANGEDCO is February, which is unlikely to be met. Some months ago, a ‘stator’ (a key accessory of the electricity generator — 32 ft long, 12.5 ft high, 14.52 ft wide and 350 tonnes heavy) drowned in a Madhya Pradesh river during transit from Haridwar to Chennai for the first unit. Efforts to retrieve and send it again did not succeed. Now, the BHEL is manufacturing the replacement stator. It is, however, likely to be ready only after five months. To break the impasse, officials tried to get the stator and rotor intended for the second unit, which is ready for despatch from Haridwar. A new problem, however, has cropped up. Logistics providers are hesitant to book the consignment as there are constraints. The mega-trailer that is needed to transport it can be driven only in the night at 20 kmph. Special permission is required to cross railway gates, besides approval from local authorities. Also, the accident involving the earlier consignment is having a deterrent effect and transporters are seeking a four-month time for delivery. “Hence, we plan to send the stator by sea to Chennai from Kandla...in Gujarat. From Haridwar, it will be sent by road,” a BHEL official said.Whatever the mode, it may take at least three months for the stator and more than a month for the rotor to arrive, sources said. The despatch is likely to happen by the first week of December.
Comments
0 comment