ANGUL: With the signing of main contract, work on the Rs 11,544 crore new Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS) with 1,320 MW capacity has started.The contract for Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) has been awarded to Public Sector Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for around Rs 8,000 crore. Signed last month after BHEL won the tender floated by NTPC, the contract covers works within the boundary wall of Talcher Thermal Power project, excluding the township.
A senior NTPC official said two 660 MW units will be constructed within 52 months. While the first unit will be made operational within four years, the second unit will come up in 52 months of the zero date starting September 27. The project has been granted environmental clearance and power purchase agreement signed with the State government. As per the agreement, the State government will draw 50 per cent of the power produced at the plant as determined by NTPC.
The official said after the award of EPC contract to BHEL, initial tendering and preparatory works have already begun. The process of awarding sub-contracts by BHEL has also been set in motion. The EPC includes construction of boiler, turbine, switchward, coal handling and ash handling plant and water treatment plant.
The 54-year-old old Talcher Thermal Power Station was shut down on March 31, 2021. The Central Pollution Control Board had sent the closure deadline for the plant, a major contributor to air pollution, in January because it failed to adhere to environment norms.In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the new project. But due to lack of clearance by the State government, it did not materialise.
Later, after the plant was shut down, the State government realised the importance of TTPS and decided to set up a new plant as desired by the NTPC. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan also had written to the Centre for the initiation of the power plant.