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| 2010 power plan loses shine as problems pile up |
NEW DELHI: If you have been counting days for your power woes to get over by the Commonwealth Games, think again. The power ministry's efforts to light up the Capital by 2010 run the risk of tripping owing to problems in transporting coal to power stations, technical snags and delays.
The ministry had prepared a plan to supply additional electricity to the tune of 10,000 MW to Delhi in time for the Games. Essentially, the plan centred on expanding the identified coal-fired generation units of Central utilities in Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, and setting up a new plant in Haryana.
At a meeting to monitor the progress of these projects, it surfaced that at least two expansion projects - Damodar Valley Corporation's Kodarma unit in Jharkhand and NTPC's Dadri phase-II in UP - could starve of fuel. This is because the coal ministry has identified mines far away in other states for supplies to these projects, while the Railways say it does not have enough tracks, locomotives and rakes to move coal.
The two projects together are to have supplied an aggregate of 2,000 MW, or a little over half of what the Capital consumes now. The coal ministry had designated Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd in Orissa as the supplier for Kodarma and Central Coalfields Ltd in Chhattisgarh for Dadri. In both the cases, coal has to be moved through three or more railway zones, creating administrative and infrastructure problems while pointing to gaps in planning.
"It is surprising that the power plants being set up in Jharkhand would be getting coal from outside the state despite the fact that the reason for setting up power projects in Jharkhand has been the availability of large quantity of coal in the area," power secretary Anil Razdan said at the meeting.
He suggested the coal ministry and Railways sort out the issue by changing the allocation and ensuring projects get coal from nearby mines.
The fate of expanding Delhi's Badarpur unit, aggregating 1,000 MW, has also been sealed. NTPC has cited "technical reasons" to say it is not feasible and will supply the same quantity from Korba in Chhattisgarh and Farakka in Bengal. But question still remains over whether these stations can sell power on a short-term basis or how this power is to be wheeled to Delhi.
NTPC has also asked for more time to construct the 1,500 MW plant at Jhajjar in Haryana, saying the stipulated timeline is "too tight and has never been achieved". The company's Sipat and Kahalgaon expansion projects are also running late.
DVC too is no better off. It has said that it will not be able to add 500 MW capacity to its Bokaro plant in Jharkhand before the Games and wants to supply additional power from the Durgapur plant in Bengal.
http://timesofindia .indiatimes. com/India/ 2010_power_ plan_loses_ shine_as_ problems_ pile_up/articles how/2289571. cms |
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