Tamil Nadu CM Vijay announces establishment of new supercritical thermal power station in Thoothukudi
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has announced a major investment of over ₹55,000 crore to upgrade the state's power transmission infrastructure and build a new supercritical thermal power station in Thoothukudi. The plan aims to address power supply gaps and reduce reliance on intermittent renewable energy sources.
Why it matters
This infrastructure overhaul is a significant policy shift to ensure industrial and residential energy stability in a rapidly growing state.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday (August 31, 2026) announced a Tamil Nadu Transmission Improvement Scheme at a cost of ₹33,066 crore to strengthen power transmission to major consumption centres, including Chennai. He also announced that a new supercritical thermal power station would be set up in Thoothukudi at a cost of ₹20,800 crore, besides a ₹1,762-crore project to improve power distribution in Chennai.
Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, Mr. Vijay said under the Transmission Improvement Scheme, 196 new substations and transmission lines covering 15,000 km would be created. The existing transmission lines would also be strengthened.
The Chief Minister said although Tamil Nadu was a leader in the renewable energy sector and was paying attention to wind, solar, and battery power, the supply from these sources was not uniform.
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