EAC recommends fresh environmental clearance for Udangudi thermal project

The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for Thermal Power Projects recommended fresh Environmental Clearance for the 1,320 MW Udangudi Supercritical Thermal Power Project of Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation Limited (TNPGCL) in Tuticorin district during its 37th meeting.

The project’s regulatory history spans more than a decade and includes revisions in configuration, extensions of earlier approvals, and a change in the identity of the developer. 

The original Environmental Clearance for the project was granted in October 2013 to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) for a 2×800 MW imported coal-based plant. In 2017, the configuration was revised and the capacity was reduced to 2×660 MW.

Several extensions to the clearance period were granted thereafter, including exclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic period from the validity calculation. Despite these extensions, the clearance expired in October 2024. By that time, around 90% of the physical construction of the plant had been completed, although the project had not yet been commissioned.

Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation Limited applied for fresh Environmental Clearance in November 2025 under provisions that allow waiver of the public hearing requirement when a project has completed at least 50% of construction. During the process, the change in the developer’s name from TANGEDCO to TNPGCL was also formally incorporated following a state government order issued in March 2024.

The Udangudi Supercritical Thermal Power Project involves a total capital investment of Rs 13,076.7 crore and will have a generation capacity of 1,320 MW. The plant is expected to consume approximately 5.9 million tonnes of coal annually.

The coal requirement will be met through a combination of imported coal and domestic coal in equal proportions. Domestic coal will be sourced from the Talcher coalfields operated by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited. All coal will be transported through a captive jetty and pipe conveyor system, with the clearance explicitly prohibiting transportation by road.

The project will rely entirely on desalinated seawater for its freshwater requirements. A captive desalination plant with a capacity of 16 million litres per day (MLD) will supply the plant’s freshwater demand of 87,168 cubic metres per day.

In addition, the plant will draw 1,94,640 cubic metres of seawater per day for cooling operations. The Environmental Clearance does not permit extraction of groundwater for project operations.

The clearance imposes several operational and environmental requirements on the developer. The project will install a stack with a height of 275 metres and establish three ambient air quality monitoring stations within one year of commissioning.

The developer will also be required to ensure 100% utilisation of fly ash generated by the plant and develop a greenbelt covering 125.4 hectares within the project area. The clearance further mandates the installation of a 4 MW solar power plant within the project premises.

As part of community and environmental measures, the developer will distribute 50,000 saplings annually to nearby communities for a period of five years. The project has also been directed to gradually phase out diesel-powered vehicles used for plant operations and transition to electric or compressed natural gas (CNG) alternatives.

The featured photograph is for representation only.