In the backdrop of a severe power shortage in the state, Germany-based Traiton Global LLC has proposed a desalination plant on the Cooum river in the city, which could produce 600MW power and 75 million litres per day of clean water. A project plan has been submitted to the state government which has invited company officials from Germany to discuss the project and costs.
Government sources said a team from the company in Germany is likely to visit Chennai in the first week of August. The focus of this project is on producing clean water from Cooum and also on energy production. “The company has proposed to set up its unit at the mouth of Cooum River where it flows into the Bay of Bengal,” an official said.
According to the technical specifications of the project, water from the polluted Cooum River would be stored in a large reservoir prior to purification and enhancement. Then the water would be pressurised and purified in several stages. The toxins and pollutants would be gasified to feed a synthetic gas turbine that will generate power. The next stage will be a purification process that will create clean water, which will then be pumped to the final stage to get medical grade drinking water.
“We have already located the land, technology and sufficient funds for setting up the plant. We only need a ‘buy back’ guarantee for the power and water from the Tamil Nadu government,” says S Manoharan, who represents Traiton Global.
Manoharan claimed that the proposed system will produce 600MW power and 75 million litres of drinking water per day. “The system will run round-the-clock throughout the year with low CO2 emissions,” he said, adding that no outside fuel would be needed to produce power and drinking water.
“The project is not weather-dependent, and is independent of any increase in prices of gas, diesel, petrol and wood,” he said. Manoharan also claimed that the project would produce power at Rs 4.95 per unit – which would make it competitive with coal plants.
