Indian Power Sector

Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Limited (MPPGCL) is planning to set up the state’s biggest multi-crore unit of 660 Mega Watt (mw) with latest technology in Betul district.

“We have already held meeting with MP planning commission (MPPC) and state finance committee (SFC) regarding setting up of Rs 4500 crore super critical 660 mw unit at Satpura Thermal Power Station ( STPC) at Sarni in Betul,” MPPGCL Managing Director Vijendra Nanavati was quoted as saying.

The higher official said they have already tailored the draft of detailed project report (DPR) and are going to hold next meeting with MMPC and SFC within a fortnight.

He said the power units with modern super critical technology, halves the coal, fuel and water consumption. “Such power plants also emits less smoke and are environment-friendly, the MD said.

Nanavati said they were in a hurry to set up the unit to generate power. Right now, the STPS was having an installed capacity to generate 1142.5 mw power, he added.

NTPC will follow the rehabilitation package offered by West Bengal Power Development Corporation for land acquisition for the proposed 1,600-MW Katwa thermal power project in the state.

According to a senior official, “We have deployed our officials who are making a survey of land for the Katwa thermal power project and we will be following the West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) package for acquisition.”

NTPC had decided to go ahead with land acquisition directly from land owners, after the state government said it will not acquire any land for any commercial project.

“We are working closely with panchayat and land department officials,” the official said.

NTPC has deployed four-five company officials to make a survey for additional 500-600 acres contiguous to the 480 acres of land already acquired by WBPDCL.

Tamil Nadu, which is suffering from acute power shortage, will get additional 1,100 MW of electricity by March this year if Vallur and Mettur thermal power projects (TPP) are commissioned as scheduled.

According to Tangedco officials, the first 500 MW unit of the Vallur TPP will be commissioned by March. “The first unit was supposed to be commissioned by January but the scheduled was changed to March due to some delay. We are hopeful of meeting deadline this time around,” said a senior official.

The 1,500 MW plant is being set up at the cost of Rs 8,444 crore. The official said that the second and third units would be commissioned by June this year and February 2013.

The 600 MW Mettur TPS, which was initially scheduled to produce power by September 2011, will be commissioned by March 2012.

The commissioning of 1,200 MW North Chennai thermal power station stage-2 is likely to be delayed further. Unit I was originally schedule to go on stream by May last year but has been subsequently revised to February 2012 and then to October. The delay had been due to accidental drowning of a key accessory ‘stator’ in a river in Madhya Pradesh during transit from BHEL plant in Haridwar to Chennai last year.

Ponni Sugars (Erode) Ltd expects to commission its 15-MW cogeneration plant by March 2012 which will add over Rs 45-50 crore to its topline during a full year of operation. The plant will generate a surplus of about 10 MW which can be fed into the grid to generate revenue.

The Rs 102-crore project is on schedule and project cost is well under control, said a company press release.

Strong sugarcane arrivals, export realisations and sugar recovery have contributed to the company more than doubling its net profit for the third quarter ended December 31, 2011 as compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

Shapoor Mistry, after being handed over the reins of the $2-billion Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group, is hoping big on energy.

The group has entered into solar energy-based products, branded EuroDiya, through Eureka Forbes. The group is also setting up a 2,640MW, imported coal-fired power plant in Gujarat, signaling the 147-year-old construction-to-textile conglomerate’s renewed thrust on energy.

The SP Group’s first brush with energy was in 1997 through the 105MW liquid fuel power unit at Samalpatti in Tamil Nadu. But it was only recently that it cleared its debts and acquired 100% interest in the power project after buying out its foreign partner, the US-based Covanta.

It has now revived interest and is lining up investments in solar and wind energy. Some months ago, it acquired large tracts of land in Ethiopia for cultivation of biodiesel feedstock.

SP Group’s earlier entry into power was led by Shapoor’s younger brother Cyrus, who was recently appointed to the board of Tata Power.

The Union Power Ministry has reportedly sent its proposal for addition of 76,000 MW of power capacity in the 12th five-year plan to the planning commission.

If reports are to be believed, the power ministry has set a target for adding 76,000 MW of electricity capacity in the 12th Plan (2012-17) and 93,000 MW in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2017-2022). The ministry is understood to have sent the recommendation to the Plan panel.

“We have finalised 76,000 MW capacity addition for the 12th plan and 93,000 MW for the 13th plan… Now the planning commission has to approve it,” a power ministry official was quoted as saying.

Planning commission member B K Chaturvedi had earlier said the planning commission may fix a target for about 1,00,000 MW of capacity addition in the power sector.

During this period, an investment of about Rs 6 lakh crore is expected in power generation projects.

The government had earlier set a goal for adding 78,577 MW of electricity capacity during the 11th five-year plan, which was scaled down to 62,000 MW by the planning commission in its mid-term review, citing environmental and land acquisition hurdles.

A panel of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has recommended clearance for the 18-MTPA Talaipalli coal-mine project of NTPC in the Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh.

According to reports, the project had come up for discussion for grant of environmental clearance in the meeting of Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) that was held recently.

In its website, the MoEF said, “The Committee after discussions recommended the proposal for environmental clearance subject to MoEF circular dated September 9, 2011.”

The ministry had issued a circular in September which stated that projects awaiting environmental clearance would be eligible for consideration even if their application for forest diversion is under consideration.

NTPC had applied for environmental clearance for ensuring a production capacity of 18.72 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from both underground and open cast operations.

The Coal Ministry had allocated the block to NTPC in 2006. One of the conditions of the allocation letter by the Coal Ministry stated that power projects (4,000 MW) based on coal from this block shall commence generation at the latest by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012).

Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd (JITPL) is expecting to commission the first unit (600 MW) of its 1,200 MW plant proposed at Derang village in Angul district by December this year.

It also plans to commission its second unit of equivalent capacity by March 2013.

A senior official reportedly said, “We had a meeting with top officials of JITPL recently. Their proposed coal-fired power plant is on the fast track and we are closely monitoring the progress of the project. The company has expressed confidence in commissioning the first unit (600 MW) by December 2012.”

The company initially intended to set up a 1,200 MW power plant at Derang on 1,055 acres of land. Out of this, the government land comprised 262 acres with the remaining 793 acres being private land.

The company has been allotted the Mandakini coal block with a reserve of 96.84 million tonnes.

Later, the company had proposed to expand its capacity to 1,800 MW and the proposal was cleared by the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority.

Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) is planning to set up a 1,000 Mw power plant by dismantling its 45-year old unit at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. The project will attract an investment of around Rs 5,000 crore.

Besides, the company will add 750 mega watt (MW) of power into various grids by the end of the year

According to B Surender Mohan, director – mines, NLC, at present the corporation’s generation capacity is 2,500 mega watt, while first phase of 250 Mw TPS – II at Tuticorin will be ready by end of this month, while the second phase of another 250 Mw will be ready by May or June 2012.

The 2×125 Mw Barsinagar will also be ready before the end of this year.

All put together 750 Mw of additional power will be generated by the corporation, he said.

The corporation also decided to dismantle its 45-year old TSI plant at Tuticorin and is planning to set up a 1,000 Mw power plant at the same location. At present the plant produces 600 Mw of power and has a mine in the same location.

Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar formally kickstarted the the much awaited Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project in Aurangabad district, by laying the foundation stone.

This marks the end of tussles over land acquisition and rehabilitation.

Nitish Kumar said the project, a 50:50 joint venture of Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), will help the state overcome energy shortage.

After laying the foundation stone of the first stage of the 3×660 MW project at Shivanpur village near Nabinagar, Nitish Kumar also announced a fresh compensation package for the farmers whose land is being acquired for the plant.

Over 2,800 acres of mostly single-crop agricultural land has been acquired in eight villages each of Nabinagar and Barun block in Aurangabad.

“This mega power project has special importance for Bihar as it will provide light to thousands of houses in villages,” the CM said.