Tidco to implement Rs 35 bn worth projects

State Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa informed the assembly that the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (Tidco) would implement Rs 3,500-crore worth projects across port, power and natural gas sectors. The project includes a deep water port, floating storage re-gasification unit and a 500 mw gas-based power plant in the southern district of Nagapattinam. It may be noted that Tidco has been actively involved in the development of basic infrastructure in the state recently. For instance, based on the Indian Oil Corporation's LNG terminal project in north Chennai, the state government announced to set up a gas-based power project . In March 2012, IOC had signed an MoU with Tidco to invest around Rs 10,000 crore to set up an LNG terminal at Ennore. The plan of the state government is to set up the gas-based power plant near the terminal with a capacity of 500 mw. However some projects in the state are facing hurdles. For example, the state government had asked GAIL not to proceed with its Rs 3,000-crore pipeline project, which will connect Kerala with Karnataka via southern districts of the state. The proposed GAIL lay pipeline was to cover seven southern districts of the state but the state government refused permission after local farmers protested.