Delays in securing equipment supplies are adversely affecting two interstate transmission system (ISTS) schemes in Tamil Nadu, the Parliament was recently informed.
In a written reply given in the Rajya Sabha, Shripaid Naik, Minister of State for Power, said that currently, five ISTS schemes are under implementation in Tamil Nadu, out of which two are witnessing implementation delays, primarily due to constraints in supply of transformers and gas insulated switchgear (GIS) equipment.
The five schemes in question, along with their scheduled commissioning dates, are as follows:
- Transmission System under ISTS for evacuation of power from Kudankulam Unit – 3 & 4 (2×1000 MW) [December 2026]
- Augmentation of 2×500 MVA, 400/230kV transformation capacity (3rd & 4th ICTs) at Karur Pooling Station [September 2025]
- Augmentation of transformation capacity at 400/230kV Tuticorin-II GIS pooling station in Tamil Nadu by 500 MVA,400/230KV ICT (6th) to meet N-1 reliability of RE pooling station [December 2025]
- Augmentation of 1×500 MVA, 400/230kV ICT (7th) at Tuticorin-II GIS substation [March 2027]
- Augmentation of transformation capacity by 1×500 MVA, 400/230kV ICT (4th) at Kalivanthapattu substation [June 2027]
It is now expected that #2 will commission by October 2026 and #3 by June 2026, owing to factors described earlier. The remaining three schemes are progressing on schedule.
Meanwhile, according to information available with tndindia.com, #1 is a TBCB scheme being implemented by “Powergrid Kudankulam Transmission Ltd,” a subsidiary of PGCIL, while all the others are RTM projects.
Intrastate schemes
The minister also said that nine intrastate projects have been approved under the Green Energy Corridor – II (GEC-II) scheme, in Tamil Nadu. It may be noted that all projects under GEC are approved by the Union ministry for new & renewable energy (MNRE). In Tamil Nadu, the GEC-II projects are being implemented by the state transco Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Ltd (TANTRANSCO).
Parliament was informed that all the six GEC-II schemes in Tamil Nadu, currently under implementation, are facing delays owing to RoW challenges being faced by TANTRANSCO. The remaining three schemes are under bidding.
Monitoring of projects
The projects are monitored by the CEA and state transmission utilities (STU) with regular review meetings held internally and with project developers to expedite the works, the reply said. MNRE is monitoring the implementation of the GEC-II scheme through the Project Appraisal Committee (PAC). Also, high level review meetings are held at the state government to monitor the progress of the projects, the reply added.
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