Chennai, April 2 Unit III of the Thoothukudi Thermal Power Station (TTPS) is expected to resume power generation on Wednesday following the fire that had forced the shutdown of three units on March 15.
Each unit has a generation capacity of 210 MW. According to official sources, Units I and II are still under repair.
Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) Chairman and Managing Director, J. Radhakrishnan, informed the media that a dedicated team has been working at the site over the past three days to restore operations.
“We have started generating power in small quantities, but the unit has not yet reached its full capacity. We hope to resume full operations soon,” Radhakrishnan said, emphasising the importance of bringing Unit III back online as electricity demand in Tamil Nadu continues to rise.
A senior official added that while Unit III is ready to resume operations, Units I and II remain non-operational due to extensive damage.
“Most of the cables and machinery were severely damaged in the fire. Restoration work is ongoing,” the official said.
The fire incident occurred late on Saturday, March 15, in the cable gallery of the power supply system and quickly spread to Unit II.
As a precautionary measure, Unit III was also shut down.
Immediate action was taken by alerting the Fire and Rescue Services, who launched firefighting efforts without delay.
J. Radhakrishnan, also the Chairman and Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), had confirmed the temporary shutdown of all three units.
He noted that rescue operations progressed steadily despite challenges posed by dense smoke from burning cables.
Approximately 50 fire personnel were involved in the operation, supported by 10 water tenders from Thoothukudi and neighbouring districts.
Two firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation and were admitted to Thoothukudi Government Medical College and Hospital.
To completely douse the flames, some areas of the power station had to be forcefully accessed.
Engineers and fire service personnel worked together to contain the blaze and minimise damage.
With Unit III returning to operation, the power situation in Tamil Nadu is expected to improve in the coming days.
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