From public toilets to bio-CNG, parking spaces to spanking new airports, eco-tourist resorts to green energy projects, Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board (TNIDB) is going all out on the PPP (public-private partnership) model of development. The reason, says Pooja Kulkarni, CEO, TNIDB, is to offer more efficient, cost-effective and better maintained public conveniences as well as industrial infrastructure. So what are the top projects in its pipeline?
The greenfield airport coming up at Parandur and a handful of energy initiatives. The new airport, says Kulkarni, is a PPP project which “will be a 100 million passengers per annum airport when it reaches full capacity but to start with will be a 20 million passengers per annum project”. In the energy sector, she adds, TNIDB is looking at tariff-based competitive bidding for transmission projects, thermal energy and even battery storage facilities all in PPP mode. “These are big projects with valuation of upwards of 2,000 crore to 3,000 crore each,” says Kulkarni. “We’re also handling pump storage projects (new as well as existing reservoirs). We are evaluating four or five of these projects in the PPP mode,” she says.
TNIDB is also working on several waste-to-energy projects. A while ago, Greater Chennai Corporation launched a bid for a waste-to-energy project. Its project value is around 1,000 crore and is at the bid evaluation stage, says Kulkarni. “The municipal corporations have floated bids for bio-CNG projects and have got some good bids for Salem, Tambaram,” she says. “Although the bio-CNG projects are not very big – around 40 crore to 50 crore at the most – they are a win-win because not only will these projects manage wet waste, the operator will pay a royalty to the municipal corporation. So we’re also looking at other waste management projects in cities such as Madurai and Coimbatore through the PPP route,” adds Kulkarni.
In terms of industrial infrastructure, TNIDB is going in for plug-and-play type projects. “We’ve just concluded one such facility at the SIPCOT Park in Vallam Vadagal on a revenue share basis,” says Kulkarni. “That bid has been concluded successfully and Sipcot will do more such projects going forward. We could also look at developing entire parks including their future maintenance on a PPP basis.”
TNIDB is also looking at promoting eco-tourism through the PPP route. “We’re evaluating eco-tourism projects in the Nilgiris and other locations will also come depending upon necessary clearances,” she says.
While these are bigger projects, TNIDB is also building parking lots and public toilets all in the PPP mode. “Right now, we’re working (on toilets) in Chennai but we will take it to other cities too,” says Kulkarni. “The concessionaire will refurbish existing toilets, build new ones and maintain all of them. In fact we’re looking at several projects in the municipal sector in multiple cities,” she says.
The good news with the PPP focus is that TNIDB has completed several projects that are running successfully. For example, the Coimbatore 24×7 water supply project for which the bid was finalised in 2018. “We finalized bids to supply water 24×7 in 58 wards of the city in PPP mode,” says Kulkarni. “The concessionaire’s duty is to design and execute the 24X7 water supply system, collect the water tariff fixed by the corporation. Already they are doing that with 90% efficiency as opposed to around 40% or 50% efficiency before,” she says. TNIDB has now announced bids for similar projects in Salem and a small area in Chennai.
As per the regulation, every PPP project more than 10 crore has to come to TNIDB for approval of bid documents. “We’re looking at the PPP model irrespective of sector,” says Kulkarni.