The Tamil Nadu government has approved a proposal to increase the overall capacity of the Udangudi supercritical thermal power project by 560 MW to 4,520 MW. The expansion will involve upgrading four units planned under Stages II and III from 660 MW to 800 MW each, Electricity Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar said. Planning for the expansion has begun as the state seeks to strengthen its own power generation capacity. The revised project could take six to seven years to complete. Udangudi was initially planned in three stages, with each stage comprising two 660 MW units and a total installed capacity of 3,960 MW. The first 660 MW unit under Stage I achieved the required Commercial Operation Declaration (COD) standards in September, while work on the second unit is under way. Following the proposed revision, the four units under Stages II and III will have a combined capacity of 3,200 MW, compared with the earlier plan for 2,640 MW. The board has approved floating tenders for the projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation (TNPGCL) will appoint a consultancy agency through the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board (TNIDB) to prepare the Detailed Feasibility Report (DFR) and Detailed Project Report (DPR), along with surveys and investigations. The consultancy work will also cover statutory clearances, tender specifications, bid evaluation, contract awards and post-award activities. The projects will be implemented through the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) route. Kumar said the state generated about 5,300 MW from its own facilities, with the balance sourced from solar and wind projects, the central grid and other power stations. The state has finalised plans to procure 1,000 MW between October 15 and 31 at Rs. 33-35 per unit to meet demand. This was lower than the 1,500 MW procurement mentioned a day earlier. The CPI and CPM criticised the reported plan to purchase 4,500 MW at an average Rs. 35 per unit, arguing that the cost would burden consumers and urging the government to secure cheaper power.