The boilers, turbines and generators at the iconic Thermal Power Station - I, South Asia’s first and only lignite-fired power station of NLC India Ltd (NLCIL), have fallen silent with the plant being retired from service on September 30.
According to an NLCIL official, TPS-I was set up following the discovery of lignite deposits in Neyveli in Cuddalore district in 1962. The Unit I was dedicated to the nation on August 5, 1962 by former President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.
“TPS-I with 600 MW, the epitome of Indo-Soviet collaboration had nine units including six units of 50 MW each and three units of 100 MW each. The plant was set up between 1962 and 1970 in three stages with an initial capital of ₹77.81 crore,” he said.
The unit I was synchronised with the grid on May 23, 1962 while the last unit was synchronised with the grid on February 21, 1970. Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) was the sole beneficiary of the plant, the official said.
Consequent to the declaring of Commercial Operation of Unit I of Neyveli New Thermal Power Station (NNTPS), the replacement plant, NLCIL had scheduled to decommission the Units of TPS-I in phases from March to September 2020.
Accordingly, all the units of TPS-I have been decommissioned and Unit VI, the last unit was decommissioned at 4.04 p.m. on September 30.
Since inception, the plant had generated a total of 1,85,390 million units and the Units of TPS-I have clocked a total service of 32,66,140 hours.
“TPS-I was the mother plant of NLCIL that showcased the productivity and efficiency of this power conglomerate,” the official added.
