Coastal Energen's coal-based power plant located at Melamaruthur village in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu has not yet found any means to transport coal from the Tuticorin port to the plant.

The power plant, having a total capacity of 1,200 MW (2 x 600 MW) is already 95 per cent complete but has still found no way of transporting coal from the port to the plant which is just 18 km away.

The cost of the project is Rs 4,500 crore and the promoter is Dubai-based ETA group.

Earlier, the company had decided to lay a railway line connecting the Tuticorin port to the plant. But the idea didn't take shape, as the Railways was busy with other projects and it accorded less priority to this small job. Moreover, the promoter of the project didn't secure the 'right of way' (legal rights) to lay the railway line.

Coastal Energen's plans to transport coal through trucks and through slurry pipeline was dismissed and found to be infeasible.

Apart from this, the other option the company is considering is to establish a jetty in the sea at the nearest coast to the project, which is one km away. But this method of transport is a time consuming procedure, which requires necessary approvals to get coal in ships and shift it onto the barges and then bring the barges to the jetty.

Coastal Energen has won a contract from Tamil Nadu electricity generation and distribution utility (TANGEDCO) to supply power for 15 years from one of its two units of 600 MW from mid of the year 2015.

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