Centre’s nod for Cheyyur and Udangudi projects

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has granted environmental clearance for two Tamil Nadu-based Ultra Mega Power Projects. The 4,000-megawatt (MW) Cheyyur Ultra Mega Power Project in Kancheepuram district and the 1,320-MW Udangudi thermal power project in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. So far, the Cheyyur project has been halted by the Centre and the Udangudi project was objected by the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO). The Centre made it clear that the vocation of traditional fishing community is not hampered due to the activities of the power project. In addition to Rs. 27.84 crore to be spent for resettlement and rehabilitation, an amount of around Rs. 100 crore had to be set apart for corporate social responsibility activities. The project proponent of Udangudi project has been advised by the Union Ministry to adopt fishing communities that are displaced and affected by the power plant, in particular, those residing in and around the plant within a radius of three km. Ultra Mega Power Project: Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPP) are a series of ambitious power projects planned by the Government of India. With India being a country of chronic power deficits, the Government of India has planned to provide "power for all" by the end of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007–2012). This would entail the creation of an additional capacity of at least 100,000 MW by 2012. The Ultra Mega Power projects, each with a capacity of 4000 MW or above, are being developed with the aim of bridging this gap. The UMPPs are seen as an expansion of the MPP (Mega Power Projects) projects that the Government of India undertook in the 1990s, but met with limited success. The Ministry of Power, in association with the Central Electricity Authority and Power Finance Corporation Ltd., has launched an initiative for the development of coal-based UMPP's in India.

What: Centre grants consent to Cheyyur and Udangudi UMPPs When: 22nd October 2013 Where: Cheyyur and Udangudi in Tamil Nadu