In March 2019, The New Indian Express reported that the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Chennai had invited tenders for a desalination unit at the Thoothukudi power station. Using Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD), it was to deliver 2,000 m³/day, split evenly between drinking water and distilled water for plant operations. The process exploits the temperature gap between the station's warm cooling discharge and cooler seawater. Tendering began on 5 March, and NIOT put the cost at about Rs 40 crore.
The report showed how India wanted coastal power stations to turn their own waste heat into a water supply instead of continuing to draw on scarce river water.
Source: The New Indian Express