Tamil Nadu unveils ₹33,066-crore power transmission plan, new 1,600 MW Thoothukudi thermal project

Direct fact

In August 2026, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced a ₹33,066-crore Tamil Nadu Transmission Improvement Scheme and a new supercritical thermal power station in Thoothukudi, alongside a ₹1,762-crore Chennai distribution upgrade.

Key specifics

• The transmission scheme will create 196 new substations and transmission lines covering 15,000 km.
• The Thoothukudi Thermal Power Station currently has 5 units of 210 MW each, with an installed capacity of 1,050 MW.
• Under the PPP model, the existing 210-MW units will be replaced by 2 units of 800 MW each, raising capacity to 1,600 MW.
• Chennai’s power distribution project, worth ₹1,762 crore, will add 36 substations of 33/11 kV capacity.
• The existing Thoothukudi units have been in operation since 1979, and the plan is linked to environmental regulations for thermal stations.

Exam lens

Question type: Tamil Nadu current affairs and energy infrastructure, key facts: ₹33,066 crore, 196 substations, 15,000 km, Thoothukudi, 1,600 MW, 1979. TNPSC may ask which district gets the new supercritical thermal station or how many MW the upgraded plant will have.