CM Edappadi K Palaniswami studies renewal energy options in UK facility

CHENNAI: After Kings Hospital, Air Ambulance, it is now green power. Chief Minister, Mr Edappadi K Palaniswami seems to be having a whale of a time in London, picking the right investments for his state, while his political rivals back home are crying hoarse that he is “just on a pleasure trip” and will have an “empty bag” to show when he gets back.

On the third day of his fortnight-long foreign tour to attract fresh direct foreign investments to Tamil Nadu, Mr. Palaniswami on Saturday visited a premier facility, 'I.P. Switch-Smart Grid' in Suffolk in the UK to study technologies in wheeling renewable energy like solar and wind-mills generated power to the grid and related infrastructure systems.

Mr Palaniswami was accompanied by the State Health minister, C. Vijayabhaskar and secretaries to the Chief Minister, M. Saikumar and P. Senthilkumar. They interacted with officials of 'I.P. Switch- Smart Grid' at Suffolk, on optimizing renewal energy production systems like solar and wind power, new technologies in the domain and the infrastructure required to harness these forms of renewable energy, an official release issued in Chennai said.

They also explored the feasibility of adopting and implementing such a project in Tamil Nadu.

The officials at the Suffolk facility also explained to the visiting Chief Minister how Britain was phasing out coal-fired thermal power stations totally by the year 2050 due to climate change concerns and in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. The UK was simultaneously expanding renewable sources of green energy.

Mr. Palaniswami evinced keen interest in the projects to see how best Tamil Nadu could benefit, and unveil similar plans back home to move towards green energy.

Mr. Palaniswami, before leaving for the US from London on Sunday, also plans to visit places of historic interest like the Thames Bridge, Tower Bridge, Big Ben and the Buckingham Palace. Culinary wise, the Chief Minister did not feel out of home, as hot and tasty ‘Idlis’, ‘Vadas’ and ‘Pongal’ were served to him at the hotel where he is staying.

Tour controversy continues However, the controversy over the Chief Minister’s foreign visit continues back home with DMK and AIADMK crossing swords on the purpose of his three-nation tour.

Close on the heels of DMK and its ally Congress demanding a ‘White Paper’ on the outcome of two ‘Global Investors Meet (GIM)’ held in Chennai, and disclosing the details of the current tour, the AIADMK hit back on Saturday.

Mr. D Jayakumar, one of the senior AIADMK leaders and Fisheries minister, said the Chief Minister has undertaken this foreign tour with “noble intentions” and at the end of it, substantial direct foreign investments into Tamil Nadu was expected. The details of the MoUs’ signed and the extent of foreign investments tied up will be disclosed after Mr. Palaniswami’s return to Chennai, he added.

“The AIADMK ministers are functioning in a very transparent way, but it was the DMK which did things in a opaque fashion, with people not knowing whom and for what they were meeting,” Mr. Jayakumar said.

Tamil Culture minister, Ma Foi Pandiyarajan also supported the Chief Minister’s initiative, saying Mr. Palaniswami’s foreign trip will have positive and deep impact on the economic development of the state.