National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is set to sign a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Grid Corporation of Orissa (Gridco) for supply of power from its two proposed super thermal power plants to be set up at Gajamara in Dhenkanal district and Darlipalli in Sndergarh district and also from the 1320 Mw to be added to its thermal power station at Talcher.
The PPA would be signed between NTPC and Gridco for a period of 25 years. NTPC is setting up a 3200 Mw power plant at Gajamara and 4800 Mw power plant at Darlipalli.
The Orissa government has requested for 50 per cent allocation of power for the state from these two power plants of NTPC but the power allocation is yet to be decided. The state government had set a condition for NTPC to set up a medical college and a power engineering institute in the state for signing the PPA.
"NTPC has agreed to set up the medical college and a power engineering institute in the state. We would be signing the PPA with NTPC for 25 years. However, the timeline for signing the PPA is yet to be decided. The Orissa Power Transmission Corporation Ltd would also be setting up corridors for evacuation of power from the two proposed thermal power plants of NTPC and also from the Talcher Thermal Ppwer Station where NTPC is adding 1320 Mw as a part of its expansion plan”, a highly placed official source told Business Standard.
The locations and other specifics of the medical college and power engineering institute are yet ton be finalized.
The proposed super thermal power projects of NTPC at Gajamara and Darlipalli were scheduled to be operational by 2016-17. The Gajamara project needed 2900 acres of land and NTPC claimed to have conducted the gram sabha for this project in March this year.
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The Darlipalli power project needs about 3000 acres of land. The 4800 MW power plant coming up on around 3000 acres of land at Darlipalli will be commissioned in three phases. In each phase comprises of 1600 MW (2x800) and all the three phases are scheduled to be commissioned by the end of the 12th Plan period (2016-17).
Presently, NTPC has obtained water clearance from the Orissa government for this project and deposited establishment charges for land acquisition to the state government to proceed with Section 4 (1) notification under the Land Acquisition Act.
It has also conducted various studies like Environmental Impact Study (EIA), socio-economic study, topographical study, hydrographic study and seismic study.
Orissa's share of power from these two upcoming power projects was yet to be finalized but under the existing guidelines of the Union ministry of power, the home state usually gets 30-32 per cent of the power generated.
The navratna power utility, which has an installed capacity of 3460 MW in Orissa will pump over Rs 50,000 crore in generating additional capacity of 9320 MW in the state by the end of 2017.
Besides setting up two mega power projects, NTPC is also scaling up the capacity of its existing thermal power station at Talcher by adding two supercritical units of 1320 MW capacity (2x660 MW).
As far as capacity expansion of 1320 MW of its Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS) is concerned, NTPC has received water clearance from the state government on March 16 this year with revised conditions of power allocation.
Apart from 50 per cent direct allocation, Orissa would also get 10 per cent of unallocated share from the Central sector.