Ageing TTPS power units suffer snags

One of the largest state-owned thermal power plants, three of its units were established in 1977, thus crossing the maximum average lifetime of 30 years of a thermal power unit.

The fourth and fifth units are in their silver jubilee year. This has resulted in frequent breakdowns, said a maintenance engineer at TTPS.

“Technical snags reported in almost every other week has severely hit power generation at TTPS,” he added.

Moreover, BHEL has stopped producing components for the thermal power station, this being another reason behind the frequent breakdowns, not only at TTPS, but in several other state and Central thermal power stations in Tamil Nadu.

“Though we have many private component producers now, the products supplied are not up to the mark,” said the maintenance engineer, who complained that private contractors who win the bids for component supply generally supply products of companies that give sales commissions.

The third unit of the Tuticorin thermal power station that was overhauled for about Rs 6 crore, shutting down the unit for two months till January this year, again broke down on the night of August 1.

“This breakdown in just seven months, and that too after spending around Rs 6 crore, needs to be taken seriously,” opined a TTPS staff, who added that the fourth unit of the power station that resumed operation after a 40-day maintenance shutdown on July 2 was again shut down for four days from July 23 due to hydrogen gas leakage and boiler puncture.

The very next day, on July 24, the second unit again tripped. With the third unit breaking down since Friday night, when the first unit of TTPS is under maintenance and shut down for 20 days already, power produced at the 5x210 MW thermal power stationin Thoothukudi stood at a mere 630 MW on Saturday.