Union ministry of environment and forest Jayanthi Natarajan on Saturday said her ministry had given “environment clearance” for the 1200 MW North Chennai Thermal Power Project Stage – II treating it as a special case.
“As soon as we came to know, in one day we gave permission. Though there were technical issues, I treated it as a special case,” she told reporters here.
The clearance was given to the project in the wake of Jayalalithaa writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week taking strong objection to the ministry directing it obtain fresh environment clearance for the power project, which was ready for commissioning by January next year.
“Applying the stipulations of the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification 2006, for the project governed by the earlier Environmental Impact Assessment Notification 1994, at this point of time when the project is ready for commissioning is not acceptable,” Jayalalithaa had said, seeking Singh’s intervention.
“The inordinate delay and the non-issuance of environmental clearance for the enhanced capacity by the ministry had resulted in the cancellation of the Letter of Assurance given by Mahanadhi Coal Fields Limited for supply of coal for the project in September 2012.
The deadline for commissioning of the plant was extended several times. The unit I was originally schedule to go on stream by May last year but subsequently revised to February 2012 and then to April next year. The delay was due to accidental drowning of a key accessory ‘stator’ in a river in Madhya Pradesh during transit from BHEL plant in Haridwar to Chennai last year.
At present, the two units of this project have been programmed to be synchronized in December this year and February next and are likely to be put in continuous operation in April-May next, she said, adding, the state was facing a huge power deficit to the tune of 4,000 MW.