VIJAYAPURA: The first unit of National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) supercritical thermal power plant in Kudgi is expected to start commercial operations in October at the earliest.
Once it goes commercial, Karnataka will get 400 MW out of the 800 MW that will be produced at the unit.
However, constraints over land acquisition and the water situation at Almatti dam might delay it further to as late as January next year.
The construction of the plant started in October 2012 and it is set to go for synchronisation of its first unit by March-end.
But construction of a rail line to carry coal to the unit from Kudgi station and consistent supply of water from Almatti reservoir, which is subject to monsoon rains, has left the actual commercialisation of the first unit uncertain.
The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has recently agreed to acquire 39 acres for construction of a loopline and double track from Kudgi railway station to the plant.
This would cover a total distance of 3 km.
The pace of acquisition and subsequent construction of the line that is required to carry about ten to eleven rakes of coal per day to feed 450 tonnes of coal that is required every hour per unit, will be crucial in determining how quickly the plant can start operations on a commercial basis.
NTPC Regional Executive Director (West 1) Subhasis Ghosh said at present, they are getting 0.05 tmcft from Almatti reservoir for the month of March, but that will be revised on a month-to-month basis. The total requirement for the first three units will be 3.4 tmcft per month. NTPC has also constructed its own reservoir, which is capable of storing water to last it for 45 days.
Ghosh said NTPC is also using Electro Static Precipitators which has 99.97 per cent efficiency and which captures the fly ash generated out of coal combustion within the plant. Fly ash is now being used largely in the manufacture of bricks and cement.
“We have received about 14 applications for our Express of Interest (EoI). The high rate of response is due to the fact that there is a large number of cement and brick factories around the this area and we expect the fly ash to be fully utilised,” Ghosh explained.
The Kudgi plant is the first NTPC project in Karnataka and will consist of three units of 800 MW in the first phase and two units of 800 MW in the second stage.