Despite resistance from local communities, the Tamil Nadu government is going ahead with the implementation of Udangudi Thermal Power Plant (TPP) project in Thoothukudi district of the state. A Memorandum of Understanding for the project was signed in 2007 between the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi and the Union Minister for Heavy Industries, Santosh Mohan Deb.
In 2018, when the project was revived, a large number of fishermen held protests over the construction of a coal jetty in Kallamoli coastal village for transporting coal to the Udangudi TPP. However, protests have muted since then. Dr SJ Gayes, president of the Thoothukudi Country Boat Fishermen Association, told LCW that the AIADMK government at the time secured written consent from fishermen who were politically affiliated with the regime at the time. "There was no public consultation with local communities. When ships start coming to the jetty, fishermen would not be allowed in the area. Even now, we are not allowed within 500 metres of the coal jetty. The presence of a coal jetty will ward off the fish, and our livelihoods will be affected," he said.
According to Gaves, one of the main occupations in Udangudi -- palm cultivation -- would also be affected. "A tapper has to cut the palm flower thrice a day to collect the sap. But when the power plant starts to function, it will be covered with fly ash. Banana plantations, which are also found in the area, would be adversely affected because of the fly ash," said Gaves. He added that lakhs of pilgrims who visit the famous Tiruchendur and Mutharamman temples would also be affected by the pollution.
B. Ramkumar Adityan, an advocate had also filed a writ petition in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court as a public interest litigation urging the court to abandon the construction of coal jetty. But the court dismissed his plea in 2019, stating it could not find in the plea any evidence displaying adverse impacts of the coal jetty on livelihood of fishermen.
In 2021, an analysis conducted by Climate Risk Horizons found that the project would add Rs 15-20,000 crore to the debt burden of the State between 2024 and 2030.
In May 2022, activist Medha Patkar flagged several violations in the project. She said that the environmental clearance and impact assessment were done for only 800MW x 2 and not for the subsequent expansion. Further, she noted that Social Impact Assessment, which is required under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, 2013, was not conducted for the 607 acres of land that was acquired by the Tamil Nadu government for stages II and III of the project.
Despite multiple hurdles, monitoring and regulatory scrutiny, the Udangudi Thermal Power Plant project in Thoothukudi district continued to progress over the last few years. In early 2023, officials reported that overall progress had reached 74 percent, largely due to continuous on-ground monitoring.
In April 2023, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took up a suo motu case questioning changes made to the proposed coal corridor route and its potential impact on nearby water bodies. This intervention required the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to resubmit a revised proposal to the Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA).
Later that same year, in October 2023, the project marked a major technical milestone with the completion of the 400 kV double-circuit power evacuation works.
The infrastructure is now being used to supply startup power for the plant.
The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) intervened again in April 2025, formally approving the proposed milestones for the project. These include synchronization targets in April and May 2025, as well as commercial operation (COD) dates for both units.
As on April 2025, more than 91 percent of the work in the Udangudi power project (2x660 MW) had been completed. The first of the two 660-megawatt (MW) power plants was expected to be commissioned by July 2025, with the second expected to be commissioned in October 2025. However, as of December 2025, the project was yet to be commissioned.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Complaint against procedural violations
Demand to cancel the project
Opposition against environmental degradation
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
9752
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Environmental Law, Environmental Law, Environmental Law, Land Acquisition Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Violation of environmental laws
Violation of free prior informed consent
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Madras High Court
Case Number
W.P.(MD)No.8580 of 2019, W.M.P.(MD)No.6696 of 2019
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), Udangudi Power Corporation, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Hariprasad is a Tamil Nadu-based independent journalist who writes primarily on environmental and developmental issues. He has worked for and contributed to a number of leading publications. He can often be seen playing chess or struggling to learn the keyboard.
