Odisha Moves on Three 4,000-Megawatt Power Projects

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In India, amid contention between the power sector, state governments and government departments about coal supplies for power projects, the drive to launch new power projects continues. The government is targeting an additional 70,000 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity by the end of the current five-year plan, which ends in 2017.

The state government of Odisha plans to set up three ultra mega power projects (UMPPs). Each plant will have a power generation capacity of 4,000 megawatts (MW). The state government will provide infrastructure support, and all three projects will be implemented through a special purpose vehicle.

Bijay Kumar Patnaik, Odisha's chief state secretary, said that although sites for two of the plants had not yet been decided, one plant is likely to be built near Dhamra port and another in Balangir. One site at Bedabahal in Sundargarh is said to have been finalized. Sites in coastal areas appear to be favored for the other two.

Energy department sources say that at the current rate of project investment in power projects, each 4,000-MW plant will require an investment approaching $4 billion.

The state will receive 50% of the power from two projects and 1,300 MW from the Bedabahal operation. The plants will use state-of-the-art technology and emission control to control pollution and minimize water use. After use, the plants' water will be treated and returned to the sources. In order to check fly ash pollution, the chief secretary suggested a management plan for storing and using fly ash from the plants. Each of the project sites will require 2,500 acres of land.

The team charged with selecting the two sites has been advised to identify locations that will cause minimum displacement and inconvenience to local inhabitants and to avoid acquisition of irrigated land. Estimated land cost and the location of the ash pond away from human habitation are also factors to be considered with a view to passing the regulatory and permitting hurdles that lie ahead for the projects.

For related information see February 2, 2012, article - Orissa Power Supply in Crisis as Fly Ash Problems Shut Down Another 2,000 Megawatts.

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