Power Sector thread

Infrastructure major Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) today said it has bagged contract worth Rs 1,843 crore, in a joint venture with Alstom, from THDC India to construct Tehri Pumped Storage Plant in Tehri, Uttarakhand.

"This is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract wherein HCC's share is Rs 701 crore. The project is to be completed in 54 months," the company said in a statement.

It added that the scope of work involves construction of head race tunnel, surge shaft, penstocks, underground powerhouse, bus bar gallery and cavern, and tail race tunnel among others.

Tehri Pump Storage project (TMSP) comprises of four reversible pump turbine units of 250 MW each and after completion, additional generation capacity of 1,000 MW will be added to the Northern Region, the statement added.

The operation of TMSP is based on the concept of recycling of water discharged between upper reservoir and lower reservoir, in which Tehri dam reservoir will function as the upper reservoir, while Koteshwar reservoir would work as the lower balancing reservoir.

According to HCC, it has constructed over 25% of country's hydel power generation capacity, including several projects in the challenging Himalayan region.

This includes the Head Race Tunnel and Surge Shaft for India's largest commissioned power generation project, the Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Electric Project (1500MW), and the Underground Powerhouse & Tunnel for the Chamera Hydro Electric Power Project, Stage I.

The company is currently executing 14 hydro-electric power projects, including four in Jammu & Kashmir, three in Himachal Pradesh, two in Bhutan and one each in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra, the statement said.

Scrips of the company were trading at Rs 30.10 a piece on the Bombay Stock Exchange at 1400 hours, up 1.69% from previous close.

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Country's largest hydro power producer NHPC plans to raise about Rs 2,000 crore in the current fiscal, mostly from the domestic market.

The proceeds would be utilised for existing as well as upcoming projects, NHPC Chairman and Managing Director ABL Srivastava said.

"We are planning to raise about Rs 2,000 crore from the markets in the current fiscal. It could be through term loans or bonds, among others.
"We would be mostly looking at domestic markets to raise the funds, since borrowing domestically is cheaper," Srivastava told PTI.

NHPC, which has an installed capacity of more than 5,300 MW, has a cash surplus of over Rs 4,000 crore.

It raked in a profit of Rs 2,166.67 crore in the last fiscal as compared to Rs 2,090.50 crore in FY10.

The state-run major is engaged in the construction of 10 projects at various locations in the country, having a total installed capacity of 4,502 MW.

It plans to increase the capacity to over 10,000 MW by end of the current XI Five-Year Plan (2007-2012).

NHPC generated 6,284 million units of electricity in the June quarter, about 10.5% higher than 5,689 million units achieved in the same period a year ago.

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Country's largest power producer NTPC today said it has inked a Rs 10,000 crore (over $2 billion) loan agreement with State Bank of India for financing its projects.

The loan amount would be the largest extended by SBI to any Indian or foreign corporate.

NTPC said the loan would be utilised for financing capital expenditure of its ongoing and new projects.

"The rupee term loan has a door-to-door maturity of 12 years with a drawdown period of four years," NTPC said in a statement.

The pact for the loan was signed by NTPC CMD Arup Roy Choudhury and SBI Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri yesterday.

"This is the single largest loan extended by State Bank of India to any corporate entity in India and abroad. For NTPC also, this is the single largest loan extended by any commercial bank," it said.

NTPC, which has a total installed capacity of 34,584 MW, plans to add 1,28,000 MW by 2032.

For 2011-12, the state-run thermal power major has an outlay of Rs 26,400 crore for capital schemes.

Last fiscal, the company's capital expenditure jumped over 22% to Rs 12,817.61 crore. In 2009-10, the same stood at Rs 10,467.13 crore.

NTPC Group's capital expenditure rose 14% to Rs 16,326.58 crore in the previous fiscal. The amount was Rs 14,334.54 crore in 2009-10.

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Aluminium PSU major Nalco would infuse Rs 1,700 crore as equity in the Kakrapar nuclear power plant in Gujarat to pick up 49% stake, a top company official said today.

"Nalco will pick up 49% equity at a price of Rs 1,700 crore in the Kakrapar nuclear power plant," CMD of Nalco B L Bagra said.

The size of the Kakrapar plant would be 2X700 MW in phase II, he said adding Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is also a partner in the project.

The plant would be commissioned by 2015, Bagra told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on non-ferrous metals here.

Bagra said the company was also planning to set up a 50-MW windmill in Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs 274 crore, besides bidding for the Ultra Mega Power Plant (UMPP) at Sundergarh in Orissa.

Nalco was already having a 1200-MW power plant for its captive use.

The company was also planning diversification into metals like copper and uranium.

"We have decided to diversify into other metals sector in view of the global liquidity crisis," Bagra said.

For uranium, the company was scouting for assets in Africa, Bagra said adding that in Latin America Nalco was scouting for copper.

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NEW DELHI: Power exchanges are flush with electricity, which is available cheap - as low as Rs 1.50 per unit at night - and industrialists are lapping it up to restart sick units, introduce night shifts, and retire diesel-fired backup units where costs are as high as Rs 11 per unit.

Several steel, textiles and cement mills are buying power from exchanges, particularly in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, where state governments have adopted favourable policies of "open access", or the choice to buy electricity from sources other than state distribution utilities. Customers are also queuing up in industrialised states like Gujarat, where Nirma, Arvind Mills and Dishman Pharma are awaiting regulatory approvals to start buying power from exchanges. Many other states are also facilitating such deals.

Officials say the average per unit cost of electricity in the open market has come down to Rs 3 from Rs 10 about a year ago as there is surplus power in the system because of low offtake by state utilities. As a result, factories that were either shut down or were operating for 2-3 days a week are running round the clock now. But state utilities, having enjoyed a monopoly for decades, are trying to protect their own turf.

On Tuesday, Punjab proposed a cross-subsidy surcharge of 74.48 paise per unit from July 1, to prevent financial loss to Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission Chairman Pramod Deo said the Electricity Act 2003 provides industries the option of buying cheaper power. Open access remains the core of reforms in the power sector, and states have to remove subsidies. "Law provides that reasonable cross-subsidies can be levied, but they should not be punitive.

Paying consumers should not be asked to pay for nonpaying consumers also," he said. Customers are ready to dump the state utility when there is a choice. "In Punjab, we are surviving because of open access. We have to compete with industries in Himachal Pradesh, which gives incentives like 10-year tax holiday. Power is the main input for industries like ours. Before power exchanges came into the picture, we were running our factories for 2-4 days aweek," says Bansal Alloys Joint Managing Director Vijay Bansal. Vardhaman Polytex Chief General Manager (Projects) Rohit Sood says textiles units were in a bad shape, but now "most units in Punjab that were shut down are again operational".

"There is availability of power and the cost is anywhere between Rs 1.5 per unit and Rs 3.5 per unit depending on the demand for electricity," Sood adds. In Gujarat, which has taken rapid strides in the power sector, the option of cheaper power has cheered the business community. Local distribution firms charge 5.60 per unit while exchanges offer the same for Rs 2.50 to Rs 3 plus government levies of Rs 1.25 per unit, said Gensol Consultants Director Anmol Jaggi.

"Number of players with power consumption of 5 mw and above are proceeding for the necessary approvals to avail power from exchanges. Number of participants from the industry on exchanges will shoot up further once the regulators allow 1 mw and above units also to procure power from the exchanges," Jaggi said. There is constant supply of power from exchanges and the companies save on diesel cost for running generators. Electricity generated from diesel generators costs about Rs 10 per unit, says Aditya Birla group manager finance and communications Rajiv Arora.

About 800 industrial consumers buy power from India Energy Exchange, the country's largest such trading platform. The exchange categorises small industrial consumers as those purchasing 1mw to 75 mw of electricity. Its clients include Hero Cycles, Nahar Spinning, Garg Acrylics, Ultratech Cement, JCT and Shree Cement . India Energy Exchange senior vice-president for business development Rajesh Mediretta says electricity tariffs have come down due to surplus, as state utilities are not purchasing power.

Addition to generation capacity has also resulted in lower tariffs. Major industrial consumers utilising the exchange are from power-intensive sectors like steel, automobile, cement, aluminum and textiles, Mediretta said. Currently, there are only 11 states that allow open access-the choice to buy electricity from sources other than state distribution utilities. These include Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

"The average prices have come down drastically from Rs 10 in April 2009 to Rs 3 in May 2011, resulting into savings and competitiveness of industries besides an assurance of round-the-clock availability. Of our total 900 industrial consumers, 400 are in Tamil Nadu and 200 in Punjab. Nowhere in the world there are so many participants at a power exchange," he said.

Manikaran Power Executive Director Amit Ailawadi says industries in Punjab and Tamil Nadu are buying irrespective of tariff as they save on diesel cost to run generator sets. Manikaran Power is one of the first members of the India Energy Exchange that procures electricity from the bourse and supplies to industries in Punjab and Tamil Nadu. "The exchange has brought a revolution in Punjab. We have 600 consumers. A few people have shifted their load in night. Prices have fallen to Rs 1.5-2 during night," he said.

In Tamil Nadu consumers are allowed to draw only 5% of their requirement in peak hours. Some cement and steel factories have shifted operations to night, he said. But Ailawadi complains that state utilities have been trying to impede implementation of open access. Various charges like transmission charges, transmission losses charges, wheeling charges, wheeling losses charges imposed by the states on open access consumers makes electricity from power exchanges costlier by 80 paise every unit. Punjab is also planning to impose cross subsidy charges which might hit the industries in the state.

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The government today said the power sector investment, which was envisaged at Rs 10 lakh crore for the current plan (2007-12), was facing a 40% funding gap.

"The fund requirement for the capacity addition envisaged in the 11th plan is estimated to be about Rs 10.60 lakh crore. Funds from all available sources is only Rs 6.4 lakh crore. Therefore there is a funding gap of about 40%, which is equivalent to Rs 4.2 lakh crore," Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said.

Shinde said that state-run Power Finance Corp was playing a critical role in addressing the key issue of large fund requirement of power sector.
In a span of 25 years, it has cumulatively sanctioned loans of Rs 3.46 lakh crore and disbursed loans of Rs 1.73 lakh crore to power sector and currently has a loan asset size of about Rs 1 lakh crore.

The installed capacity in the power sector in the country has grown from 1,23,901 Mw in January 2006 to 1,77,135 Mw in June 2011, he said.

Shinde was addressing members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry in here today.

He said a capacity of 37,971 Mw had already been commissioned during the 11th Plan till June 2011.

The minister said during the year 2010-11, India had synchronised a capacity of 15,795 Mw.

The Minister said the government had also initiated development of large transmission systems through private sector participation on the lines of Ultra Mega Power Projects.

Eleven such independent transmission projects have been identified by the Empowered Committee to be developed, out of which already 6 have been awarded and 5 more are in the pipeline.

Shinde said the other key concern of power sector had been the high AT & C (Aggregate Technical and Commercial) losses.

In order to reduce these losses, the Government of India launched a scheme APDRP (Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme) during 10th Plan, which aimed at reforming the power distribution sector by providing investment and incentives to state power utilities.

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Karnataka set to add 1,600 Mw power capacity in FY12​

Power-starved Karnataka is planning to add 1,600 Mw of generating capacity by the end of the current financial year. The state, which has a generating capacity of around 8,000 Mw from both public and private companies, buys around 1,000 Mw during the summer months to tide over the shortfall.

“We are buying costly power from private companies during the summer months. But we cannot afford to purchase for long. Before the next summer, the state is set to add about 500 Mw from the second unit of Bellary Thermal Power Station (BTPS), 600 Mw from Udupi Power Corporation Limited and another 500 Mw from the non-conventional sources. Our aim is to achieve self-sufficiency in power generation in the next three years,” said Shobha Karandlaje, minister for energy, government of Karnataka.

Speaking at a function in Shivasamudram, where she laid the foundation for a 5 Mw solar photovoltaic power station, she said the electricity supply companies (ESCOMs) and Karnataka Power Corporation Limited were all in debt and were unable to carry out modernisation and capacity expansion works.
The state is facing shortage of transformers and the sub-stations are 25-30 years old and need to be replaced urgently to increase the efficiency and bring down the transmission and distribution losses, she said. The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited would replace 167 sub-stations within the next two years in the state, she added.

“The KPCL is due to get receivable from ESCOMs to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore at the end of March 2010. We are charging interest on them for the outstanding dues,” said Yogendra Tripathi, managing director, KPCL.

The corporation has an installed capacity of 5,975.91 Mw of hydel, thermal, solar and wind energy, with 9,500 MW in the pipeline. The company is currently executing five projects with a combined capacity of 1,973 Mw power, which will be commissioned by the end of next financial year at an estimated investment of Rs 7,463 crore.

In addition to these projects, KPCL has also planned to set up 1,600 Mw thermal power project in Chhattisgarh, 800 Mw thermal units in Yeramarus and Yedlapur in Raichur district, 1300 Mw from Jewargi thermal plant and 500 Mw from the third unit in BTPS. All these projects are presently stalled due to non-availability of coal linkage, Karandlaje said.

In the non-conventional energy sector, the state is looking at setting up 300 Mw solar PV plants at various places, of which 100 Mw would be generated under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission and the balance 200 Mw would be generated under its solar power policy.

KPCL has identified five sites in Shimoga, Haveri, Koodalasangama and Bijapur for new solar PV plants. Land acquisition is in progress and six private companies have come forward to form joint venture companies for development of solar power in the state. KPCL will extend technical support and avail clearances for these projects and also invest 24 per cent equity in the project cost and private firms would invest 76 per cent.

The peak demand, which was 5,949 Mw in 2005-06, increased to 8,094 Mw in 2009-10 and the deficit, which was 6.57 per cent in 2005-06 increased to 12.91 per cent in 2009-10.

Even the purchase of power from private producers could not suffice the required demand forcing the state to impose load shedding. The shortfall as compared to required demand increased from 1,326 million units in 2005-06 to 5,59 million units in 2009-10.

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South Korean power equipment-maker Doosan will set up a power equipment manufacturing unit at Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.

"Doosan will be setting up a power equipment manufacturing plant at Chennai," Shinde told reporters here.

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction's factory at Chennai is likely to manufacture boilers for thermal power projects in the country.

"It is 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Doosan," Shinde added.

This facility would produce equipment to aid generation of around 3,000 MW every year.

A new manufacturing facility will be useful, as India is looking to scale up its power equipment manufacturing capacity.

On the capacity addition front, he said, "We would add 17,000 MW during the current financial year (2011-12). And have so far done 37,000 MW in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-12)," he added.

State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals is the country's biggest power equipment manufacturer, with the capacity for fabricating equipment with a power generation capacity of 15,000 MW per annum. This could be further scaled up to 20,000 MW per annum by March, 2012.

At present, in the private sector, a joint venture of Larsen & Toubro and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is the sole player with a manufacturing facility operational at Hazira, in Gujarat.

This plant has the capacity to produce boilers and turbine generators with a capacity of 4,000 MW per annum.

Alstom and Bharat Forge have another JV company, which aims to produce turbine generators with a capacity of around 5,000 MW per annum. Their plant, which is coming up at Mundra, in Gujarat, is expected to be operational by 2012.

In addition, a JV between Toshiba and JSW is expected to be commissioned next month, which would produce turbine generators of 3,000 MW capacity every year.

A Gammon-Ansaldo JV is also setting up a manufacturing plant at Tiruchy, in Tamil Nadu, which would be operational by December, 2012. The plant would produce boilers to aid generation of 4,000 MW per annum.

Another such boiler manufacturing facility being set up by Thermax-Babcock & Wilcox to aid electricity generation of 3,000 MW is to be completed by the end of 2011.

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State-run lending agency Power Finance Corp is in advanced talks with Nuclear Power Corporation of India for lending Rs 12,000 crore to set up two atomic plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan with a total capacity of 2,800 MW.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) is building two units of 700 MW each at Kakrapur atomic plant in Gujarat and Rajasthan atomic power plant.

"We are talking to them (NPCIL). We have to decide whether we would fund these projects over 15 years, the way we do in thermal projects", CMD PFC Satnam Singh told reporters here.

NPCIL is expanding its operations and therefore requires capital infusion.

"NPCIL was earlier a cash rich company. Now they are seeking funds from lending agencies like us for their projects," Singh said.

PFC and NPCIL signed a Memorandum of Understanding in October, 2010, for offering financial assistance to NPCIL for its new power projects as well as renovation and refurbishment of life extension projects.

Meanwhile, PFC would issue tax-free bonds to raise Rs 5,000 crore of the total borrowing target of Rs 30,000 crore in the current financial year for funding power projects.

"We would borrow Rs 30,000 crore this fiscal. Through tax-free bonds, infrastructure bonds and other means," Singh added.

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Cheaper electricity to help power companies restart sick units​

NEW DELHI: Power exchanges are flush with electricity, which is available cheap – as low as Rs 1.50 per unit at night – and industrialists are lapping it up to restart sick units, introduce night shifts, and retire diesel-fired backup units where costs are as high as Rs 11 per unit.

Several steel, textiles and cement mills are buying power from exchanges, particularly in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, where state governments have adopted favourable policies of "open access", or the choice to buy electricity from sources other than state distribution utilities. Customers are also queuing up in industrialised states like Gujarat, where Nirma, Arvind Mills and Dishman Pharma are awaiting regulatory approvals to start buying power from exchanges. Many other states are also facilitating such deals.

Officials say the average per unit cost of electricity in the open market has come down to Rs 3 from Rs 10 about a year ago as there is surplus power in the system because of low offtake by state utilities. As a result, factories that were either shut down or were operating for 2-3 days a week are running round the clock now. But state utilities, having enjoyed a monopoly for decades, are trying to protect their own turf.

On Tuesday, Punjab proposed a cross-subsidy surcharge of 74.48 paise per unit from July 1, to prevent financial loss to Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission Chairman Pramod Deo said the Electricity Act 2003 provides industries the option of buying cheaper power. Open access remains the core of reforms in the power sector, and states have to remove subsidies. "Law provides that reasonable cross-subsidies can be levied, but they should not be punitive.

Paying consumers should not be asked to pay for nonpaying consumers also," he said. Customers are ready to dump the state utility when there is a choice. "In Punjab, we are surviving because of open access. We have to compete with industries in Himachal Pradesh, which gives incentives like 10-year tax holiday. Power is the main input for industries like ours. Before power exchanges came into the picture, we were running our factories for 2-4 days aweek," says Bansal Alloys Joint Managing Director Vijay Bansal. Vardhaman Polytex Chief General Manager (Projects) Rohit Sood says textiles units were in a bad shape, but now "most units in Punjab that were shut down are again operational".

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India June power output up 8.2 pct y/y - govt​

NEW DELHI, July 14 (Reuters) - India's power output rose an annual 8.2 percent in June , slower than the previous month, due to fuel shortages but peak power deficit narrowed as monsoon rains curbed demand in southern and eastern parts of the country, government
data showed.

As on June 30, India's installed capacity stood at about 177 gigawatt (GW) and the country aims to add 17.72 GW in the current fiscal that began on April 1.Electricity generation last month was 70.79 billion kilowatt hours (kwh) versus 65.41 billion kwh in a year ago, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) said in a statement posted on its website.

In May, electricity generation had risen an annual 10.45 percent to 75.10 billion kwh. Last month, the peak power deficit, the shortfall between supply and demand during peak hours, narrowed to 8.7 percent from 8.9 percent in May. India needs to significantly raise its generation capacity to reduce peak hour power shortages and provide electricity to millions of rural households. The Asian nation is set to
miss its target to add 62 GWs of capacity over a five-year period ending next March, mainly due to delayed environment clearances and allocation of coal linkages.

Thermal electricity, which accounts for about two-thirds of India's power generation and includes using coal, gas and liquid fuel, rose 4.99 percent in June when coal-fired output rose by 7.89 percent from a year ago thanks to capacity additions. However, coal supplies in June at 30.16 million tonnes fell short of requirement by 18 percent, the data showed.

India aims to import 55 million tonne of coal for power plants in the currentfiscal that began on April 1. Gas-based generation declined 4.58 in June due to low availability of fuel.

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Orissa gets its first solar power plant​

In a humble yet significant beginning for solar power generation in Orissa, the first solar power plant has been commissioned in the state.

Hyderabad-based Raajratna Energy Holdings Private Limited (REHPL), a company engaged in the development of renewable energy projects has announced the commissioning of its 1 MW solar power plant at Sadeipali in western Orissa's Bolangir district on last Monday.

Incidentally, this is the third grid connected solar power plant in the country. The plant was successfully synchronized with the grid on June 30 this year. This project has been commissioned in a record time of five months at an estimated cost of Rs 16-17 crore.
It has been implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) of Rooftop PV (Photo Voltaic) and Small Solar Power Generation Programme (RPSSGP) Scheme of the Union ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

The project was executed by AIC Projects GmbH, Germany and KSK Surya-Hyderabad. REHPL has expressed its gratitude to Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) for its timely funding of the project.

To give a boost to solar power generation, Gridco had signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with eight solar developers, each with a capacity of 1 MW. It had also inked an MoU with Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) to avail generation based incentive (GBI) under the Union ministry of new & renewable energy (MNRE) through IREDA under Rooftop Photovoltaic and Small Solar Generation Programme (RPSSGP) scheme.

In addition to this, Gridco had also entered into power sale agreement with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd, a 100 per cent 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 MNRE. Under the said scheme, 20 MW of solar power has been allocated to Gridco.

The National Tariff Policy mandates each state electricity regulatory commission (SERC) to specify a renewable energy purchase obligation by the states in a time-bound manner where solar purchase obligation (SPO) is a part.

The Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) has fixed RPO of five per cent for 2011-12 of which 0.1 per cent would be from solar power.

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sixsigma1978 said:

Source : http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-09/news/29755785_1_open-access-sick-units-cheaper-power

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SSCaddict said:

see post 1307

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Universal Crescent Power Private Limited (UCPPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore–based Universal Success Enterprises (USE), has entered into a long-term fuel supply agreement for 100 million tonnes of low sulphur environmentally friendly coal with PT Bayan Resources Tbk of Indonesia.

UCPPL would utilise the coal for its upcoming Saurashtra Super Thermal Power Project at Gujarat and Sagar Super Thermal Power Project in West Bengal, USE informed in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The company is putting up a 4000 megawatt (Mw) coal-based super-critical thermal power plant at Bhatvadiya in Jamnagar district in Gujarat and a 2000 Mw coal-based super-critical thermal power plant at Nayachar Island, near Haldia in West Bengal.
UCPPL has already tied up the balance coal supply for all the above upcoming projects from the reputed coal producer PT Bumi Resources Tbk of Indonesia and Noble Resources of Singapore. The whole of the quantity of coal required for UCPPL would be imported and also insulates the company from the coal supply volatility and uncertainty associated with Indian coal.

Company's Saurashtra Super Thermal Power Project is under implementation, and the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for part quantity of phase-I (2 x 660 MW) has already been executed. The financial closure of the projects is scheduled by March 2012, and talks are already in progress with various Indian and international financial institutions.

Meanwhile, West Bengal's Sagar Super Thermal Power Project is at an advanced stage of development. The company has signed PPA for 85 per cent of power to be generated from Stage I (2 x 660MW) has with West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited.

The company further mentioned that it is also planning another 2000 Mw imported coal-based super-critical thermal power station at Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) in Gujarat.

The company is setting up a 5000-acre multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Japanese Township.

"The power generated would be primarily fed to industries coming up at the Dholera SIR. So far, USE group has committed more than Rs 1 lakh crore of investment in various infrastructure projects in the states of West Bengal and Gujarat," the company statement said.

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NPCIL Starts Building Two Nuclear Power Plants​

MUMBAI – Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd. said Monday it has begun construction of two indigenously designed atomic power plants of 700 megawatts each.

"The reactors are scheduled to be completed in the year 2016-17," India's only operator of commercial nuclear power plants said in a statement.

The two reactors are located in northwest India's Rajasthan state, which will get half of the total 1,400 MW capacity.

The state-run company's move comes a few months after a devastating earthquake and tsunami triggered a disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, sparking a wave of protests against nuclear power worldwide.

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India to begin the construction of its 25th nuclear power plant​

Rawatbhata (Rajasthan): India will begin the construction of its 25th nuclear power plant on Monday with the first pour of concrete for the 700 MW indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) at Rawatbhata.

The 700 MW PHWR will be the seventh nuclear plant at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS), which already has an installed capacity of 1,180 MW from six units - the largest from a single site.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) currently operates 20 nuclear power plants across six sites and has an installed capacity of 4,780 MW.

The excavation work for the Unit 7 at RAPS started on August 19 last year and the NPCIL hopes to start commercial operations by June 2016. The first pour of concrete for Unit 8 at the station is expected later this year.

The Centre had given a financial sanction of Rs. 24,000 crores in October 2009 for building four units of 700 MW of PHWRs - two each at Kakrapar and Rawatbhata in Rajasthan.

The 700-MW PHWR has been designed by NPCIL by scaling up its 540 MW PHWRs under operation at Tarapur since 2005.

The NPCIL is building two 1,000 MW VVER type nuclear power plants at Kudankulam (TamilNadu)and two 700 MW PHWRs at Kakrapar in Gujarat. Unit 1 and 2 at Kudankulam are expected to be operational by August this year and May next year, respectively.

Both the 700 MW units at Kakrapar are expected to start producing power by 2015 end. With the progressive completion of the Kudankulam reactors and the four 700 MW PHWRs at Kakrapar and Rawatbhata, the installed nuclear power capacity of NPCIL is expected to reach 9,580 MW by 2016.

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For the first time in the country, Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has commissioned a 525 Mw thermal set for the Maithon Right Bank thermal power project in Jharkhand.

The 2x525 Mw greenfield power project is being implemented by Maithon Power (MPL), a joint venture between Tata Power and Damodar Valley Corporation.

In a statement today, BHEL said it had commissioned "India's first thermal set of 525 Mw rating at Maithon Right Bank thermal power project in Jharkhand".
The state-run power equipment major had bagged the order for 1,050 Mw project, outbidding a Chinese supplier, it noted.

According to the statement, after bagging order for two 525 Mw units from MPL, the company has secured orders "for four more such units, taking the number of 525 Mw sets contracted to six sets, so far".

"BHEL has so far secured orders for more than hundred [100] numbers of 490 / 500 / 525 / 600 Mw thermal sets," the statement said.

The power equipment maker is in the process of augmenting its capacity to 20,000 Mw per year from existing 15,000 Mw per annum.

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