THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If things go smoothly, the first phase of the 2,400-MW coal-based Ultra Mega Power Plant (UMPP) proposed at Cheemeni, Kasargod, should be operational in three years, Power Minister A.K.Balan said on Thursday.
KSEB and KSIDC would form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for setting up the power plant, he told reporters here. The plant will generate 500 MW in the first phase. ``The entire project can be completed in eight to 10 years. The total cost would come to around Rs 12,000 crore,’’ Balan said.
The Cabinet had on Wednesday cleared the proposal for the power plant, which is envisaged as a lasting solution to the State’s power woes. The project is to be implemented jointly by the KSEB and the KSIDC on 2,000 acres of land belonging to the Plantation Corporation.
Finer details such as the import of coal and equity participation in the plant will be decided after the SPV is formed, Balan said. ``The control of the plant will be with the Government, though,’’ he said.
On the coal-based power project in Orissa, a joint venture with Orissa and Gujarat, Balan said that if Kerala cannot generate power there, then coal would brought to Cheemeni. ``We are starting the mining process. The problem is, the grid is already congested. Installing a separate line is not cost-effective,’’ he said.
SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN A DECADE Various short and long-term projects, including the Cheemeni UMPP, designed to make the State self-sufficient in electricity are estimated to generate around 4,500 MW in the next 10 years, Balan said.
As part of this, maximum use of existing hydel projects will be made. The possibilities of wind energy too will be explored. These two together are expected to generate an additional 500 MW. The Power Department has also given shape to small-scale power projects totalling another 500 MW, he said.
POWER CONSERVATION CAMPAIGN FROM FEBRUARY 22 The State Government will launch a massive power conservation campaign on February 22 as part of short-term measures to tide over the power shortage expected in the summer months.
``We can temporarily overcome the crisis if we can save at least 200 MW a day. Daily consumption has risen to 44 MU now. It is expected to touch 47-48 MU by March-April, especially with the exam season ahead. Our hydel reservoirs now have storage for generating 2,300 MU, but setting aside the statutory storage for June, there will be water left to generate only around 1,900 MW,’’ he said.
The KSEB will start the distribution of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) by the middle February. KSEB plans to distribute 10 lakh lamps in the first phase.