Neyveli is a mining and power generation township in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located at 11.30° N - 79.29° E. It is 52 kilometres (32 mi) inland from Bay of Bengal, west of Pondicherry and 197 kilometres (122 mi) south of Chennai, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of Vadalur. The Neyveli Township was developed after mining of lignite started under the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) in 1956 some 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the original Neyveli village. Today the township covers 53 square kilometres provide around 18,000 houses for the employees.
The Neyveli Lignite Corporation is a public sector enterprise operating out of Neyveli. A large percentage of the thermal power generated in Tamil Nadu comes from the power plants in Neyveli, more than 2,500 MegaWatts. The town of Neyveli is well known to locals for its goat herding history. Goats from all over the Cuddalore district are brought to Neyveli by goatherders
