BHUBANESWAR: The State Government signed MoU with three more independent power producers (IPPs) for establishment of thermal power plants of 3,960 MW capacity with an investment of over Rs 20,000 crore.
KU Projects Private Limited (KPPL), a subsidiary of Hyderabad based Ind-Bharath Power Infra Pvt Ltd (IBPIL), will set up 1,320 MW (2X660MW) coal fired supercritical thermal power project at Pitamahul in Sonepur district with an investment of Rs 7,260 crore.
The company requires 820 acres of land and the water requirement of the plant will be met from the Mahanadi river system, company sources said.
If everything goes as per the plan, the company is confident of commissioning the first unit in 30 months. The construction work is likely to be taken up in the first quarter of the current year.
In-Bharath Energy (Utkal) Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of IBPIL has also signed MoU with the Government for establishment of a 700 MW power plant at Sahajbahal in Jharsuguda district, also entered into an understanding for capacity addition of 660 MW unit there.
Similarly, SPI Ports Pvt Ltd proposed to set up 1,320 MW (2X660MW) thermal power project at Mahakalpara in Kendrapara district with an estimated investment of `6,609 crore. The company will utilise sea water through desalination process and air-cooled condensers for the power plant.
NSL Nagapatanam Power Company Pvt Ltd (NNPCPL) was the third IPP which signed an MoU with the State Government for setting up two units of 660 MW capacity each at Banamalipur in Angul district with an investment of ` 6,600 crore.
The Government has already signed MoUs with 27 IPPs. The combined capacity of these projects is over 34,000 MW with proposed investment of Rs 1.75 lakh crore. The State will have a share of 6,299 MW from these projects.
After commissioning of the new projects, the State will get about 475 MW at variable cost.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the new projects will meet the surging energy demand of the country as a whole and the State in particular.
Outlining the initiative taken by his Government for the power section development, the Chief Minister said that a Capex programme of Rs 2,400 crore has been launched with assistance from the Centre for system upgradation.
He urged the IPPs to set up industrial training centres in consultation with the Industries Department in the blocks having no such facility.
Energy Secretary Pradip Jena signed the MoUs on behalf of the Government in the presence of Minister of State for Energy Atanu Sabya Sachi.