Indian State of Haryana to Commission One Power Plant Per Year Until 2012

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--India's northern state of Haryana is hoping to commission one power plant every year from now until 2012 to generate 5,000 megawatts (MW) of power at a total cost of $8.15 billion. Construction of the plants should ensure a regular supply of power to all consumers in the state for at least 20 to 22 hours every day. Haryana is expected to have surplus power by 2011.

The Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, made the announcement at the foundation ceremony of the 1,320-MW Mahatma Gandhi power project in the Khanpur Khurd village in Jhajjar district. Upon completion, the power plant is expected to provide an uninterrupted supply of power to all towns and villages in a radius of 20 kilometers. Jhajjar Power Limited, a special purpose vehicle set up for the project by CLP Holdings Limited (HKG:0002) (KoHong Kong), is developing the super-critical thermal power plant at a cost of $1.22 billion. The power plant will be developed in two phases. Phase I consists of a 660-MW and unit is scheduled for commissioning in December 2011. A second 660-MW unit will be commissioned in May 2012.

With plans to undertake power transmission through public-private partnerships, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (Chandigarh, Haryana), a state-owned power transmission and distribution firm, has invited requests for qualification (RFQs) from interested parties for the construction of power transmission from the Jhajjar project. The deadline for receipt of RFQs is March 4, 2009.

Hooda criticized earlier state governments for having neglected the power sector in the state, which has had an installed power generation capacity of only 1,587 MW for the last 40 years. Demand for power in the state is rising at an annual rate of 10% to 15%. The overall power shortage in the state for 2008-09 was estimated at 9.9%, with an estimated supply of 28,920 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) and an estimated demand of 32,106 million kWh. Peak power demand in the state for 2008-09 is estimated at 5,370 MW, while peak power supply is estimated at only 4,020 MW.

The city of Gurgaon, home to over 2.5 million people, has faced a severe power crisis recently, with power outages lasting for as long as 10 hours in several parts of the city. There was a power shortage of 395 MW in the city, which receives 650 MW of power at peak hours, falling 35% short of demand.

Ongoing power projects in the state include the 1,500-MW Indira Gandhi super-thermal power project in Jhajjar, the first phase of which is slated for commissioning by July 2010. Construction of the 1,200-MW Rajiv Gandhi thermal power project in Hisar is under way. The 600-MW Deen Bandhu Chotu Ram thermal power plant in Yamunanagar was commissioned in 2008. The state is also looking to set up a 2,800-MW nuclear power plant in Fatehabad.

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