CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday inaugurated the two new shore unloaders built by Tangedco at VO Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi at a cost of Rs 325 crore to handle larger coal-carrying ships.
The Shore Unloaders have been installed at the power station at a total cost of ₹325 crore, an official release said.
These machines would help to unload coal faster, and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited to save up to ₹80 crore a year, it said.
Due to the new equipment, it would be able to unload coal from six to eight cargo ships with a coal-carrying capacity of 70,000 to 75,000 tons a month, it said, adding that as it could unload the large quantity of coal at a short span of time, the coal handling charges would come down from Rs 700 per ton to Rs 540 per ton resulting in a saving of Rs 80 crore a month for the Tangedco.
It said that earlier it was handling 10 to 12 cargo ships with 50,000 to 55,000 tons capacity a month at the VOC port. To ensure uninterrupted power generation at Thoothukudi Thermal Power Plant (5X210 MW) and to meet the growing power demand, it was decided to set up two new shore unloaders which could help handle large coal cargo ships in a short time.
Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Geetha Jeevan, Minister for Electricity V. Senthil Balaji, Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu and senior officials were present.
At another event, the Chief Minister chaired a meeting to review the Tamil Nadu State Policy for Women-2023.
