Chhatrapur to be first smart grid town in Odisha…

 

Chhatrapur, the district headquarters of Ganjam, will become the first 'smart grid town' in the state after it starts using an advanced technology in power supply that can withstand cyclones with wind speed of around 350 km/hour.

The technology will be implemented under a disaster- resilient power strengthening project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on an experimental basis.

The other towns in the district, Berhampur and Gopalpur, would also be included in the scheme at a cost of Rs 817 crore, energy secretary P K Jena said here on Saturday.

Energy minister Arun Kumar Sahu said the initiative was necessary as the power sector frequently bore the brunt of nature's fury.

Jena said under the scheme the towns will have underground power supply lines, apart from overhead cables.

Besides, consumers will be alerted about power cuts through SMSes. He was here to felicitate outstanding performers, who helped restore power supply in Phailin-hit Ganjam in quick time.

The government has also decided to set up a one megawatt solar power plant at Chhatrapur, chairman-cum managing director, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL), Hemant Sharma, said.

The officials justified the selection of the three towns, saying Berhampur was the biggest commercial hub in the southern part of the state, Gopalpur, a seashore town, was a tourist place and Chhatrapur was the district headquarters town.

Power infrastructure in the district, particularly in these three towns, was severely damaged in cyclone Phailin in October.

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NTPC Director (Technical) visit to 10 MW PV Solar plant site at NTPC Kaniha in Odisha…

 

A.K.Jha, Director (Technical), NTPC Limited visited the two solar power plants  located at NTPC Kaniha  which is under construction on 25.01.2014.

The solar plants are being constructed at Stage II Township & Patharmunda (main plant campus) with installed capacity of 8 MW & 2 MW respectively.The 10 MW PV solar is being constructed with 45 acres of land.

Director (Technical),NTPC Limited was accompanied by Shri.Arvind Kumar, RED(ER-II), Shri.V.B.Fadnavis, Executive Director,NTPC Talcher Kaniha, Shri. Surinder Raina (GM-REDG) & Shri.U.K.Dasgupta, GM (Maintenance).

Senior officials of NTPC Kaniha plant & BHEL were also present during the visit. Shri.Jha on this occasion made a review of the progress of the both of solar plants and instructed for a speedy progress towards completing the construction on schedule.

The work of construction of the solar plant has been awarded to BHEL.Foundation stone of 10 MW Photo-Voltaic solar plant of NTPC Talcher Kaniha was laid on 03.07.2013.

NTPC is venturing into renewable energy with an objective to broad base generation mix by evaluating conventional and alternate sources of energy to ensure long run competitiveness and mitigate fuel risks.

With a vision to provide green power through locally available resources at affordable price & promoting clean energy.In this endeavor, NTPC has already commissioned two 10 MW Solar PV Project at Dadri & Andaman & Nicobar.

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Dept Seeks Gridco Nod on Sterlite Energy for Vedanta…

 

The Energy Department has sought the views of Gridco, the power trading utility of the State, on the issue of granting permission to the Vedanta Aluminium and Power to use power from Sterlite Energy.

This is in response to Vedanta Group’s request to the State Government for using 600 MW power from Sterlite Energy (a subsidiary of Vedanta Group) to run its smelter plant at Jharsuguda.

Vedanta Aluminium Limited has set up a 1.1 million tonne per annum (mtpa) new aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda as Special Economic Zone (SEZ), is lying idle presently for want of power.

“We are providing 600 MW to Gridco for the last three years. Since Odisha is now power surplus State, we may be allowed to use this power for running the new smelter plant to full capacity,” said Vedanta Aluminium and Power business head SK Roongta in a recent letter to Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra.

The commissioning of the new smelter plant will generate substantial employment opportunity and additional revenue for the State Government, he said.

Sterlite Energy, an independent power producer (IPP), runs 2,400 MW (4x600 MW) thermal power station at Jharsuguda. One unit of the power station is dedicated to the State.

Stating that the new smelter has been put up as per the 2006 recommendation of the State Government pursuant to central SEZ Act, 2005,

the company had recently sought extension of SEZ benefits for its aluminium smelter project at Jharsuguda.

The company has requested exemptions which were taken into account at the time of setting up of SEZ plant such as exemption from state taxes including entry tax, VAT, electricity duty be made applicable from the date of recommendation for the SEZ.

The company has also requested the State Government to declare the plant in the SEZ as a deemed distribution licensee as per the provisions of the Electricity Act 2003 and referred the matter to the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC).

Chairman of the Vedanta Group Anil Agarwal met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on November 26 last year to discuss the issue along with the long term bauxite linkage to the company.

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OHPC surpasses annual power generation target…

 

Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), which was mandated by Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) to produce 5,676 million unit (MU) hydropower in the current fiscal, has surpassed its annual target and aims to generate 1,000 MU more by the end of March 2014.

“As of 14 January, we have produced 6,004 MU, higher than our target of 5,676 MU. Considering current reservoir positions, we can generate nearly 500 MU more by end of March,” said Santosh Sahu, director (finance) of the state government undertaking.

The rise in power generation was supported by low pressure-induced rains that lashed the southern part of the state towards the fag end of monsoon season that ended in October 2013. As a result, major reservoirs, which are located at Koraput , Malkanagiri and south of Bhawanipatna districts, have ample water to generate record power generation.

Major reservoirs of the state, which supply water to these plants are near their highest level, OHPC website updates showed. Balimela reservoir currently has water at 1508 feet, out of its maximum carrying capacity at 1516 feet, while Mukhiguda reservoir contains 641.8 feet high water, against carrying capacity of 642 feet. Bariniput reservoir, which has a maximum capacity of 858 feet , now has 855.6 feet water in it.

Total hydro power generation, which was around 1200 Mw per day in November however, has come down to 500 Mw average per day as water is being used for irrigation of winter crops from the reservoirs.

Largest power plant Balimela generated about 165 Mw electricity , while Upper Indravati produced 114 Mw power on an average by the second week of January. Hydro power generation at Upper Kolab power station was around 70 Mw by mid-January, data showed.
Balimela has the capacity to produce 510 Mw, Upper Indravati 600 Mw and Kolab can produce 320 Mw electricity.

OHPC said higher generation means more profit for the company, which could jump by as much as 50% to Rs 75 crore.

“During 2012-13, our profit after tax (PAT) was Rs 47 crore. This year we are expecting Rs 75 crore due to higher power generation,” said Sahu.

As per OERC guidelines and agreement signed with Gridco, the hydro power producer has to sell additional power generation at half of the agreed rate. For 2012-13, rate of average power sold by OHPC has been fixed at 70 paise per unit upto sell of 5676 Mu power. Any power sold beyond the targeted generation has to be sold at not more than 35 paise.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said while worst-hit Ganjam received 740 mm rainfall during and after the tropical cyclone Phailin, causing flood situation in the district, compared with 111 mm normal rainfall, Odisha received 277% higher rainfall than normal in October.

Odisha needs about 3,000 Mw power in summer season. Hydro power production, which is at 500 Mw now, can rise to 1000 Mw in summer, the state-run power generator said. “The current water availability will be sufficient for summer demand of 2014,” said the OHPC official.

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NTPC Board okays Rs 12,532 crore investment for Odisha plant…

 

State-run NTPC's Board today approved an investment of Rs 12,532.44 crore for setting up 1,600 MW thermal power project in Odisha.

"The Board of Directors of NTPC have accorded an appraised current estimated investment approval for Darlipali Super Thermal Power Project, to be implemented in Odisha at an estimated cost of Rs 12,532.44 crore," NTPC said in a statement.

This approval is subject to environmental clearance. This approved investment is more than the earlier estimated cost of the project due to increase in land compensation, a company official told PTI.

The project requires approximately 1,600 acres of land. It is linked to the Dulanga coal mine, with seven million tonnes capacity, in Odisha.

The company recently signed an initial agreement with the Geological Survey of India to set up a geothermal power project at Tattapani in Chhattisgarh.

NTPC's current installed generation capacity is 42,454 MW. The company plans to add about 20,000 MW by 2017.

It has about 1,500 MW of hydro power capacity under construction and operates about 4,000 MW of gas-based power plants in the country.

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Final price bids for Odisha, Tamil Nadu UMPPs to open on 26 February…

 

The final price bids for the two ultra mega power projects (UMPP)—Odisha and Tamil Nadu—will open on 26 February, power minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

The minister said that the projects will be awarded to the successful bidders post opening of the financial bids.

All the nine applicants for Odisha UMPP and eight applicants for Cheyyur UMPP (Tamil Nadu) who have applied for request for qualification (RFQ) have been shortlisted for issuance of request for proposal (RFP), or the final price bids.

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) is the nodal agency for UMPPs in the country. UMPP is coal-based thermal power project that have 4,000 megawatt (MW) of generation capacity.

The apex evaluation committees cleared all the technical bids in the first round. Both the committees are headed by V.K. Shunglu, ex-CAG.

NTPC, Tata Power, NHPC, Adani Power, JSW Energy, Jindal Power (an arm of Jindal Steel and Power), Sterlite Infraventures, CLP India and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) had submitted applications for the Odisha project.

NTPC, Adani Power, CLP India, GMR Energy, Jindal Power, JSW Energy, L&T and Sterlite Infraventures had submitted bids for the Cheyyur UMPP in Tamil Nadu.

Odisha UMPP is a pit-head power project. Based on domestic coal to be sourced from allocated captive coal blocks, it is expected to cost around Rs25,000 crore.

The Cheyyur UMPP is a coastal power project, based on imported coal, with an expected investment of about Rs24,200 crore.

So far, four UMPPs have been awarded, of which Sasan (Madhya Pradesh), Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Tilaiya (Jharkhand)—have been bagged by Reliance Power. Tata Power is operating the Mundra UMPP in Gujarat.

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Odisha to sell surplus power to Karnataka…

 

The Odisha government has decided to sell surplus power to Karnataka.

The matter was discussed at a high-level meeting here on Monday, which was attended by chief secretaries of both states. Senior officials of the Odisha government’s Energy department were also present.

“Karnataka Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee, who is in the State, had an official meeting with our Chief Secretary J K Mohapatra here on Monday, where a preliminary discussion on the power sale was held. Details will be worked out when officials of both states meet,” said sources in the Energy department.

At the meeting, the Karnataka chief secretary reportedly expressed his keenness to purchase power from a State-owned undertaking in Odisha rather than a private company.

If everything works out well, Karnataka will purchase power from the Grid Corporation of Odisha, a State-owned undertaking which purchases power from different sources, including private sector electricity generation companies in the State. It sells them to four power distribution utilities that supply power to consumers in four different zones in Odisha.

This will not be the first instance of Odisha, one of the very few power surplus states in the country, selling electricity to another state. It had earlier sold power to Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana.

If sources in the Energy department are to be believed, the average power requirement in Odisha at present stands at around 2,700 MW. The State currently gets about 3,000 MW from different sources, including its own thermal and hydro power stations, besides electricity generating private sector companies. “We get around 300 MW of surplus power at the moment which can be sold to other states”, an official in the Energy department said.

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Odisha to extend MoUs of 10 IPPs by month-end…

 

The Odisha government has decided to extend the lapsed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 10 independent power producers (IPPs).

"Based on the progress made on their projects, we have decided to sign fresh MoUs with 10 IPPs. The new pacts will be signed by the end of this month”, said a senior government official.

The IPPs whose MoUs are to be extended are GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd, Lanco Babandh Power, Monnet Energy, Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd (JITPL), Ind-Barath Energy Utkal Ltd, CESC Ltd, Visakha Power, Mahanadi Aban Power Ltd, BGR Energy Systems and Maa Durga Power Company Ltd.

The IPPs have to retain at least 51% stake in their power projects for a minimum of three years from the date of commissioning of their plants, as per the new MoU framed by the state government.

Also, any stake sale beyond this lock-in period will need prior permission of the state government

According to the terms set in the new draft MoUs, the IPPs have to comply with the mandatory clause to promote employment among locals.

The clause stipulates that industries setting up their projects in the state have to reserve 90% jobs for locals in the unskilled and semi-skilled category, up to 60% in skilled category and 30% for the supervisory and managerial cadre while giving them the option to fill up the post of senior executives from the open market.

The IPPs also have to take steps to develop ancillary and downstream units around the mother plant.

It may be noted that the lapsed MoUs were impeding the progress of power projects since the banks and financial institutions were reluctant to provide funds to the developers.

So far, two IPPs- Sterlite Energy and GMR Kamalanga Energy have commissioned their units. While Sterlite Energy has fully operationalized its 2400 Mw coal-based plant at Burkhamunda near Jharsuguda, GMR has put on stream two 350 Mw units of its plant at Kamalanga in Dhenkanal district.

The rest eight IPPs were in advanced stage of commissioning their projects.

The state government had entered into MoUs with 29 developers for establishment of coal-based projects. Together, these projects have a generation capacity of over 37,000 Mw with the state share about 6000 Mw.

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IPPs asked not to use PGCIL line for power supply to Odisha grid...

 

The Odisha government has directed the independent power producers (IPPs) to deliver its share of power at its own substations and transmission lines, instead of transmission network of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL).

“Government is in the process of executing supplementary MoUs with the IPPs incorporating a provision to the effect that the IPPs shall deliver the state’s share of power at the designated substations of OPTCL, so that the interstate transmission charges payable to PGCIL can be avoided,” said a source in the Energy department.

As per existing practice, IPPs had plans to connect to PGCIL transmission system for sale of power throughout the country and would have used the same line to provide power to Odisha. But the state government’s new norm is likely to affect the business prospects of the private power producers to some extent, said experts.

“It is likely to affect the business margin of private producers as they will have less option to sell their power outside the state in case of fall in demand from the state. The state government at the same time must construct better evacuation system for availing such power,” said an official of Ind Bharat, an IPP.

The Odisha government has signed agreements with 29 private developers with combined generation capacity of 38,000 Mw power. As per the agreements, the IPPs have to sell 14 per cent of total generated power to the state network at a subsidized rate. The state government aims to get around 2000 Mw power from private power stations by 2015 and hence, has come up with large transmission network plan.

The Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OTPCL) is in the process of setting up three high capacity substations with an estimated investment of Rs 1000 crore for sale of surplus power.

The substations having 400/220/132 KV capacity would be constructed at Lapanga, Meramundali and Khuntuni. While work for construction of Lapnga substation has already started, land acquisition and other formalities are being chalked out for other two units.

“OPTCL has proposed 400/220 kv grid substations for drawal of state’s share of power from the proposed IPPs. In the event of availability of surplus power from the IPPs, it is planned to sale the Odisha share directly to CTU (central transmission utility) to which the IPPs are planning to connect,” said the Energy department source.

Currently two IPPs, Sterlite Energy and GMR Energy are operational in the state. Another two IPPs, Ind Bharat and Maa Durga Thermal Power are expected to start supplying power to the OPTCL grid in 2014-15.

Source: Business Standard

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Vedanta seeks nod to use IPP power for smelter...

 

Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL), a unit of Anil Agarwal controlled Vedanta Resources, has sought the nod of the Odisha government for using 600 Mw power from Sterlite Energy (also a Vedanta Group firm) to run its smelter at Jharsuguda.

VAL’s 1.25 million tonne per annum (mtpa) aluminium smelter set up as a sector specific Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Jharsuguda is lying idle presently for want of power. Sterlite Energy, an independent power producer (IPP), runs 2,400 Mw (4x600 Mw) coal-fired station at Burkhamunda near Jharsuguda.

“We have set up our aluminium smelter in Jharsuguda in line with the state’s SEZ policy 2003 and are awaiting approval. We will be very pleased if approval can be granted immediately. The company also requests the government to allow use of 600 Mw power plant to run our smelter for value addition which is lying idle,” Vedanta Resources chairman Anil Agarwal wrote to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Agarwal said a quick decision by the government can help start operations of the smelter resulting in generation of economic activities, huge local employment and additional revenue creation for the state.

The company had recently sought extension of SEZ benefits for its aluminium smelter project at Jharsuguda.

VAL has already invested Rs 12,000 crore on the smelter complex. The commissioning of VAL’s multi-product SEZ at Jharsuguda has been delayed considerably due to non-finalisation of the state specific SEZ policy. Due to lack of the policy, various government departments were unable to extend the SEZ benefits. Commissioning of the SEZ facility promised to boost the local economy by generating business potential worth Rs 15,000 crore every year. Direct and indirect employment opportunities for nearly 12,000 persons are set to be created.

The facility is also expected to develop local infrastructure besides boosting numerous small scale enterprises. Since the Odisha government has granted its concurrence to grant the SEZ status to the smelter plant, VAL had pointed out earlier that the state SEZ policy should be applicable to the establishment. The company had also suggested that developing and setting up of downstream industries in the area adjoining to the smelter should be made mandatory.

Source: Business Standard

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Clearances of Odisha power project coal blocks may be de-linked: Report

 

The government may de-link forest clearance of coal blocks for 4,000-MW Odisha ultra-mega power project (UMPP) with the environmental clearance accorded to the entire plant, so that delay in development of mines does not affect the construction of the thermal station, according to a source close to the development.

This development comes after the Coal Ministry last week issued show-cause notice to Power Finance Corporation seeking explanation for delay in commencement of production from the allocated mines.

"MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests) is likely to de-link forest clearance of coal blocks for 4,000 MW Odisha UMPP with the environmental clearance accorded to the entire plant so that delay in development of mines does not affect the construction of the thermal station," the source said.

The Coal Ministry has also said that if these firms fail to give reasons for the delays it would be presumed that it has no explanation to offer and appropriate action will be taken against the company.

As many as nine companies have qualified the first bidding round for the Odisha UMPP and are likely to participate in the second and final round also.

NTPC, Tata Power, NHPC, Adani Power, JSW Energy, Jindal Power, an arm of Jindal Steel & Power, Sterlite

Infraventures, CLP India and Larsen & Toubro had submitted applications for the Odisha project.

Odisha UMPP is a pit-head power project. Based on domestic coal, to be sourced from allocated captive coal blocks, it is expected to cost around Rs. 25,000 crore.

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OIPL drafting PPA for Odisha UMPP...

 

The Odisha Integrated Power Ltd (OIPL), a fully owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) is in the process of preparing the draft power purchase agreement (PPA) for the first ultra mega power plant (UMPP) in the state.

The maiden UMPP with a capacity of 4,000 Mw is coming up at Bhedabahal in Sundargarh district. OIPL is a special purpose vehicle formed for implementing the UMPP. Odisha would get 1,300 Mw as state share from this power project. The project will be implemented as per the terms and conditions of the PPA.

The selection of bidder is being done as per the tariff based competitive bidding guidelines issued by the Central government on design, build, finance, own and transfer (DBFOT) basis.

The Request for Qualification (RFQ) for the UMPP was issued on September 25. OIPL has received applications from nine prospective developers — Adani Power Ltd, CLP India Ltd, Jindal Power Ltd, JSW Energy Ltd, Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T), National Hydro Power Corporation Ltd (NHPC), NTPC Ltd, Sterlite Infraventures Ltd and Tata Power Ltd.

The award under Section 11 (of Land Acquisition Act) for private land measuring 2,733.54 acres was issued by the Sundargarh collector from August 8-10 this year in all affected villages- Kandabahal, Kirei, Rupidihi, Kopsingha, Lankahuda and Bhedabahal.

OIPL had deposited the land compensation amounting to Rs 634.92 crore with the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) on June 21 this year. Idco, in turn, deposited the same with the Sundargarh district administration in August 2013.

Till December 19, compensation of Rs 125 crore has been disbursed.

The district administration, meanwhile, is processing 36 cases of alienation of non-forest, government land measuring 512.43 acres. The UMPP needs 3,100 acres of land in all.

Three coal blocks — Meenakshi, Meenakshi B and dip side of Meenakshi with combined deposit of 838 million tonne have been allocated for the UMPP. Presently, Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI) is demarcating the coal blocks. Notification under Section 11 of Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) CBA Act has been issued for the Meenakshi coal block.

OIPL has submitted a revised proposal for environment clearance in October 2013 . The proposal is under consideration of the Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF).

Two more UMPPs are set to come up in Odisha. It has been decided to set up the second UMPP at Bijoypatna in Chandbali tehsil of Bhadrak district and third UMPP at Narla under Kesinga sub-division in Kalahandi district. The sites have been selected after field visits by PFC. Two subsidiaries — Sakhigopal Integrated Power Company Ltd and Ghogarpalli Integrated Power Company Ltd have been formed by PFC for executing these two UMPPs. The second and third UMPPs would contribute 2,000 Mw each to the state grid.

Source: Business Standard

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120 MW thermal power plant in Ganjam district of Odisha on the anvil...

 

A 120 mega watt (MW) thermal power plant is on the anvil to be established near Chatrapur in Ganjam district.

This power plant would need an investment worth around Rs. 600 crore. It would be established by Dr. Ramakrishna Prasad Power Private Limited (RKPPL) of Hyderabad. Speaking to The Hindu, Ganjam district Collector, Krishan Kumar said the RKPPPL has already obtained clearance from Government of Odisha for this 120 MW coal-based thermal power project. According to company sources it has applied for clearance of the project from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of Central government and has obtained Terms of Reference (TOR) from the MoEF.

As per the instructions of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), a public hearing for environmental impact assessment of the project would be held on January 10 at the proposed site of the project.

According to the authorities this proposed coal-based thermal power plant would be established near Sri Ramchandrapur village of Chattrapur block in Ganjam District. According to a director of the RKPPL, Naveen Venigalla, who was in Ganjam district regarding the project, the land for the project has been earmarked. This thermal power plant would come up on 85.78 acres of land. Out of it 74.2 acres are government land and rest is private land.  

As per the authorities this project would need around three years for its construction. The company claims that this thermal power plant would be a non-polluting one. Its pollution level would be too low as it would use modern technology and imported coal. The imported coal it proposed to be used by this power plant would have six per cent ash in comparison to Indian coal which has 40 per cent ash, the company authorities claimed.

It is envisioned that the Gopalpur port which is at its final stages of completion to become an all weather port would provide scope for import of coal for this thermal power plant. This power plant would need around 200 cubic meters of water every day. It has been decided to use ground water for the purpose.  When this thermal power plant would start its production, it would evacuate the power generated by it through 132 KV power transmission line of Odisha’s GRIDCO. Around 30 MW of its production would be provided to Odisha government while the rest would be marketed by the company. This project is expected to solve power problem in Ganjam district and other parts of south Odisha.

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Progress of OPGC, NTPC power & coal mine projects in Odisha...

 

The progress of the power plant and coal mine projects allocated to OPGC is satisfactory.

This has come to light in the State level Steering Committee Meeting held under Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra in secretariat conference hall today wherein Energy secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena presented the present status of the projects and outlined issues for discussion.

The progress of work NTPC and UMPP projects in Odisha was also reviewed in the meeting.   Discussions in the meeting reveal that Manoharpur and Dip side Manoharpur, a contiguous coal block was allotted to OPGC for fuel connectivity to Unit-3 & Unit-4 2x660 MW supercritical units ( expansion units of OPGC).

The fuel supply to these power plants is totally dependent upon these coal blocks. On 23rd December, 2013 Ministry of Coal, after a review by IMG has asked for explanation to OPGC regarding slow progress in development of coal mines.  Review reveal that Ministry has issued notice to 48 coal mines in various States which includes show cause to 27 and explanation for slow progress to 21 allottees. OPGC has been issued letter of explanation for slow progress. 

Available data shows that in the meanwhile, all permits for setting up power plants have been secured and EPC contract has also been awarded. The work of power plant has commenced in work site. Regarding Manoharpur coal block, Stage-1 forest clearance has been secured. Land acquisition has been expedited with over 80% of Govt. land sanctioned in favour of the coal block and 77% of compensation amount disbursed for private land acquisition. It has been resolved in the meeting that land acquisition will be completed by end of Jnauary, 2014.  Bidding process has been expedited. Request For Proposal ( RFP) has been issued to qualified bidders.

It has been decided in the meeting that contract award will be completed by February, 2014. Directorate of Geology and Steel & Mines department will expedite the process of drilling and work execution in Monaharpur dip side. Similarly, for MGR ( Mary Go Round) Stage-1 forest clearance has been secured. Over 50% of Govt. land has been sanctioned in favour of the project and processes of disbursement of compensation to private land owners have been expedited. Request for Proposal has been issued for EPC contract.   

Replying to queries of media after the meeting Energy Secretary Sri Jena said that the progress of work for OPGC Power Plant expansion units and allotted coal blocks is almost ahead of the schedule. The work will be further expedited. Sri Jena added that we are waiting for mining approval form Government of India. Sri Jena has also said that we will comply with all the queries made by the Ministry within the prescribed time; and, we are confident that Ministry will be satisfied by the progress achieved till today.  

The meeting also reviewed the progress of NTPC projects like Darliplai Super Thermal Power project, Dulanga coal mining project, Gajmara Super Thermal power Project and Talcher Super Thermal Power Station. The issues relating to Resettlement & Rehabilitation, land acquisition, disbursement of compensation, exemption of stamp duty on Govt. land compensation to patta holders under forest rights act, renewal of water allocation etc were discussed and finalized in the meeting.

The progress of 4000 MW Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPP) in Odisha, a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) was also figured in the meeting. The bottlenecks relating to private land acquisition, diversion of forest land, acquisition of land for Marry Go Round (MGR), Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant (POL), water corridors were discussed and necessary decisions were taken for removal of those bottlenecks.  

Additional Chief Secretary Revenue & Disaster management Dr. Taradatt, Principal Secretary Forest & environment Sri Raj Kumar Sharma, Secretary Steel and Mines Gudey Srinivas, Secretary Energy Sri P.K.Jena along with senior officers from State Pollution Control Board, Forest Corporation, NTPC, OPGCL and PFC participated in deliberations.

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NTPC to start mining coal from Dulanga block by Mar 2015...

 

NTPC Ltd, the country's biggest power generating utility hopes to start coal production from the Dulanga block by March 2015.

With a mineable reserve of 152 million tonne, the Dulanga block located in the Ib valley coalfields, is linked to NTPC's 1600 Mw super thermal power station coming up at Darlipalli in Sundargarh district. The power plant is scheduled to be commissioned by 2018.

The cost of developing the coal block is estimated at Rs 1556.65 crore. So far, NTPC has spent Rs 76.92 crore on the coal mine project.

The coal block has got in-principle environment clearance in March 2012. Final green clearance is expected after receipt of Stage-I forest clearance.

Development of the coal mine needs 464.15 acres of private land. Notification under Section 11 of Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition & Development)- CBA Act, 1957 has been issued. Land rates have been finalized and disbursement of compensation would commence after approval from the NTPC board.

Similarly, development of township, rehabilitation & resettlement (R&R) colony and necessary infrastructure needs another 410.07 acres of land. The state revenue & disaster management department has approved the proposal to issue notification under Section (7) for R&R colony, CISF colony and infrastructure area. Proposal for Section 4 (1) notification for 210.63 acres for overburden dump area is being processed by the state government.

Requirement of government land for the coal block is 432.21 acres out of which an amount of Rs 17.65 crore has been deposited with the tahsildar office for 263.23 acres.

Forest land of 794.13 acres also needs to be diverted for the coal mine project. Acquisition of forest land will be initiated after receipt of Stage-II forest clearance from the Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) and subsequent permission from the state government for tree felling.

It may be noted that the Ministry of Coal (MoC) recently sought explanation from NTPC in respect of slow progress in developing the Dulanga coal block. The notice to NTPC was on the basis of recommendation by the inter-ministerial group mandated to review the progress of development of allocated coal blocks and associated end-use projects and to recommend action, including de-allocation, if required. The IMG observed that many critical milestones were still pending for developing the coal mine.

Source: Business Standard

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Odisha to float tenders soon for 48 Mw solar power...

 

In its efforts to maximize solar power generation and also to fulfill the renewable purchase obligation (RPO) of its bulk power purchaser Gridco, the state government would soon float tenders for new soar power capacity of 48 Mw.

Presently, on-grid solar power projects with a total capacity of 13 Mw are operational in the state. According to RPO fixed for 2013-14, Gridco has to buy six per cent of its energy from renewable sources out of which 0.20% has to be from solar power.

Gridco has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for eight solar photo voltaic (PV) projects of 1 Mw under Roof Top PV and Small Solar Power Generation Programme (RPSSGP) scheme.

Gridco has also entered into power sale agreement with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of NTPC Ltd, to avail solar power bundled with equivalent capacity of thermal power from unallocated share of upcoming NTPC stations under 'New Solar Projects' scheme of Union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE). Under the said scheme, 20 Mw of solar power has been allocated to Gridco.

NTPC would be supplying solar power to Gridco in bundled form along with thermal power and the tariff for solar power will be in the range of Rs 4.74-5 per unit.

The Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Ltd (GEDCOL) has planned to go for solar PV generation to the tune of 20-40 Mw immediately for which it has already held two rounds of discussions with Gridco. GEDCOL is also setting up 50 Mw solar power project at Manmunda in Boudh district. Around 250 acres of land will be needed to set up the project. The project will cost Rs 400 crore.

Source: Business Standard

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NHPC signs agreement with Odisha Govt, OHPC to form hydroelectric power JV...

 

State-run NHPC Ltd on Monday said it has signed an agreement with Government of Odisha and Odisha Hydro Power Corporation Limited (OHPC).

The agreement was for the purpose of formation of a Joint Venture company for implementation of six hydroelectric projects with an aggregate installed capacity of 1020 MW.

“A Promoters' Agreement has been signed on December 21, 2013 between NHPC Limited, Government of Odisha and Odisha Hydro Power Corporation Limited for formation of a Joint Venture Company for implementation of six hydroelectric projects with an aggregate installed capacity of 1020 MW,” said NHPC in a filing to BSE.

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All initial RFQs qualify to submit price bids for TN and Odisha UMPPs...

 

All the companies that submitted initial bids (request for qualification or RFQ) for 4,000 mw each ultra mega power project (UMPP) at Bhedabahal in Odisha and Cheyyur in Tamil Nadu have been asked to give price bids (Request For Proposal or RFP).

The price quotes for these two projects have to be submitted within 45 days. Power developers generating electricity at the cheapest rate would emerge the winner. The project is likely to be awarded by the end of the current fiscal.

For the Rs 25,000 crore Odisha power project, nine companies – NTPC, Tata Power, NHPC, Adani Power, JSW Energy, Jindal Power, Sterlite Infraventures, CLP India and Larsen & Toubro – have submitted bids.

Excepting Tata Power, all these companies also put their bids for Rs 24,200 crore imported coal based UMPP in Tamil Nadu.

The initial bids were evaluated by an Apex Evaluation Committee headed by V K Shunglu, former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

While the Odisha project will be based on domestic coal, the Tamil Nadu project would be fired from imported fuel.

According to Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power Jyotiraditya M Scindia, the Government is offering investment-friendly parameters for these projects and claims to have cleared the major regulatory hurdles required for the setting up of mega power projects.

In August, the revised standard bidding documents were given the go-ahead by an Empowered Group of Ministers.

At present, India has awarded four ultra mega power projects — one to Tata Power and three to Reliance Power. So far, only Tata Power’s project at Mundra in Gujarat is fully operational.

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Government to auction four Odisha coal blocks...

 

The government has decided to auction four coal blocks in the Talcher region of Odisha, having a total reserve of 2.33 billion tonne, or about five times that of Coal India’s output last year, to power utilities.

The auction would be done as per the ‘Auction by Competitive Bidding of Coal Mines Rules 2012’. Accordingly, companies which have been awarded power projects through competitive bidding for tariff, would be allowed to participate.

“The government proposes to allocate coal blocks to companies awarded power project on the basis of competitive bids for tariffs. Accordingly, applications are invited from the eligible government companies and corporations through respective state governments as per rules of the Auction by Competitive Bidding of Coal Mines Rules, 2012,” a letter of coal ministry issued on Friday said.

The blocks notified for auction are Karadabahal, Brahmanbil and Phulajhari (east and west) spread over an aggregate area of 19 sq km.

This is the second round of coal blocks being put up for auction ever since the government notified the auction in February 2012.

Last December, the coal ministry had put up the first list of 17 blocks following which mines were allocated to companies like Orissa Mineral Development Corp and also states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

The ministry is also in the process of allocating blocks to Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Karnataka, West Bengal, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Union Kashmir.

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NTPC seeks land for ash pond, rail corridor for 1600 MW super thermal plant at Gajamara in Odisha...

 

NTPC Ltd, the country's biggest thermal power producer, has sought 745.15 acres of land for ash dyke, reservoir area, ash pipe line corridor and railway line corridor for its 1600 Mw super thermal power project coming up at Gajamara in Dhenkanal district.

The power generating utility wants 437.12 acres for ash dyke and 11o.61 acres for reservoir area.

Similarly, it has put the requirement for its ash pipe line corridor and railway line corridor at 56.3 acres and 138.12 acres respectively.

The state-owned Investment Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (Ipicol) has assessed the land requirement at 538.34 acres against NTPC's demand of 745.15 acres.

Ipicol has recommended to the energy department to accord administrative approval to NTPC for the land.

Notification under Section 4 (1) of Land Acquisition Act has already been issued for acquisition of private land for the Gajamara project. NTPC has urged the state government to expedite issue of 6 (1) notification. The Gajamara project needs 1013 acres of land.Of the total land needed for the project, 795.85 acres are privately owned. The land is to be acquired in four affected villages- Talabarkote (440.23 acres), Patra bhag (194.61 acres), Manipur (99.46 acres) and Siaria (61.55 acres). NTPC has to fork out Rs 152.54 crore for acquisition of the private land.

NTPC will set up a power engineering institute at Dhenkanal that is linked to its Gajamara plant.

The utility major is setting up another super thermal power plant at Darlipalli in western Odisha's Sundargarh district. This plant is expected to be commissioned by 2018.

The Darlipalli super thermal power project will draw water from the Hirakud reservoir in the Mahanadi river.

NTPC has secured coal linkage for this project in the form of Dulanga coal block with mine capacity of seven million tonnes per annum (mtpa) under command area of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) and Pakri Barwadih block in Bihar's Hazaribagh district with 12.5 million tonne per annum (mtpa).

Source: Business Standard

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