CHENNAI: Minister for Electricity V Senthilbalaji informed the Assembly on Thursday that power generation has resumed at Unit III of the Thoothukudi Thermal Power Station (TTPS) following a fire that disrupted operations.

He assured that a comprehensive damage assessment would soon commence.

Responding to a special calling attention motion moved by O Panneerselvam, MH Jawahirullah, and Kadambur Raju, the Minister detailed the incident, stating, "TTPS comprises five units of 210 MW each, with a total capacity of 1,050 MW. On March 15, all units except Unit II, which was on standby, were operational. Around 10 pm, Unit I automatically shut down following an explosion in the station service switchgear, disrupting the 6.6 kV on-site power supply. Shortly after, Unit-III also ceased operations."

"A fire erupted in the cable gallery of Unit I and spread toward Unit II. Multiple fire brigades, including teams from VOC Port, NTPL, and SPIC, battled the blaze despite heavy smoke, successfully extinguishing it by 6.30 pm on March 16," he said.

Senthilbalaji confirmed that major machines at Units I and II, including boilers and generators, remained unaffected, and Units IV and V continue to function.

"A high-level committee has been formed to investigate the cause, assess damages, and recommend preventive measures," he said.

The full restoration of Units I and II will be determined after a detailed evaluation, and efforts are under way to expedite repairs and restore operations to full capacity soon, he assured.