CHENNAI: Resources Minister R Nirmalkumar on Sunday said the State government would soon release a white paper on the power sector detailing the condition of the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation (TNPDCL), infrastructure gaps, renewable energy policies, procurement practices and alleged irregularities during the previous regime.
Referring to the alleged transformer procurement irregularities, Nirmalkumar told reporters in Madurai that the Madras High Court had raised serious questions over how multiple companies had quoted identical tender values from the same IP address and how tenders worth Rs. 7 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh had allegedly been inflated by 30% to 50%. He said a CBI probe had now been ordered into the matter and asserted that all records, including IP addresses, procurement documents and video evidence, were available.
Responding former Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji, Nirmalkumar alleged that former Minister was responsible for the deterioration of the department and questioned his criticism of the present government. He also referred to the cash-for-jobs case against Senthil Balaji and alleged that the former Minister had repeatedly sought legal remedies to delay proceedings.
Announcing a white paper on the power sector, Nirmalkumar said it would compare the performance of the previous five years with that of the preceding decade, covering procurement of equipment, establishment of substations, renewable energy development and losses caused to the government. He said the assessment of infrastructure, stock position, transformer age profile, power demand projections and substation requirements was under way.
The Minister alleged that renewable energy investments had been hampered by a network of brokers and middlemen, claiming investors were forced to pay commissions for processing applications and securing project approvals. He said the government had convened meetings with investors who highlighted such concerns.
He said the government had closed renewable energy centres at Udumalpet and Tirunelveli as part of efforts to eliminate irregularities in the processing of applications and had introduced several policy-level changes in tender estimation and procurement procedures. All renewable energy applications were being reviewed and a transparent online system would be launched shortly, he added.
Nirmalkumar said the government was conducting a State-wide assessment of load requirements, substation needs and power infrastructure. Chennai's peak power demand had crossed 5,000 MW and additional substations and transformers would be required to support growing demand, he said.
Stating that the existing infrastructure was inadequate, the Minister said special monitoring teams had been deployed to respond to power failures. In Chennai alone, 125 teams comprising about 500 personnel were carrying out round-the-clock field inspections and restoration work.
He said all departments were currently undertaking stock assessments and infrastructure reviews following the formation of the new government and reiterated that the findings of the power sector review would be placed before the public through a white paper at the earliest.