In July 2018, The New Indian Express reported that a new project report put the cost of the planned desalination plant in Nemmeli near Chennai at 6,078 crore rupees. The first estimate, made in 2013, had been 3,912 crore. The plant was designed for 400 million litres per day (400,000 m³/day). Chennai's water utility cited GST and pricier materials as the reasons. Funding was to come through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, with completion scheduled for October 2025.
The report showed how cost estimates for large desalination projects could shift within a few years. Tax reform and material prices raised the total by more than half.
Source: The New Indian Express