NIOT Tuticorin Project Likely To Go On Stream this Year

The one MW ocean thermal power project designed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) with technical inputs from Saga University of Japan, at Tuticorin is likely to be commissioned early next year. The project envisages generation of power from the difference in seawater temperature at a depth of 1000 meters and on the surface.

NIOT, an autonomous institute under the department of ocean technology, has been working in this project with an allocation of Rs 35 crore. The project cost has gone up to Rs 60 crore, informed sources said.

The project at Tuticorin is only a demonstration project. The technology can be commercialised by setting up all weather power generation units. But it may take years to reach that stage.

NIOT has already set up a small demonstration project (55 kw) to generate power from wave energy in the Kerala coast. The project was initiated by ITT, Madras and then taken over by NIOT.

Now NIOT is moving to its own premises, in the outskirts of the City.