State-owned NTPC today said it would soon start constructing the Rs 11,400 crore project at Darlipalli in Odisha following the completion of land acquisition by next month.
"The construction work at Darlipali shall commence soon with the assurance from the state government that the land acquisition shall be completed by December 10, 2012," NTPC said in a statement.
NTPC CMD Arup Roy Choudhury, BHEL CMD B P Rao and Director (Operations) of NTPC, N N Misra met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik yesterday to discuss issues delaying the commencement of the project, the statement said.
NTPC is expected to invest Rs 11,400 crore on the 1,600 MW project. NTPC has two projects in Odisha -- Talcher Thermal (460 MW) and Talcher Kaniha (3000 MW).
"Situated at the Sundargarh District of the state Darlipali project shall get coal from Dulanga Mine and water from Hirakud Reservoir," the statement said.
The equipment for the plant has been placed with BHEL and BGR Hitachi. The forest clearance for the Dulanga mine is also expected shortly, it added.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to re-allocate three coal blocks of NTPC which could generate 8,500 MW capacity.
On Thursday, the Cabinet decided to give back the three coal mines to NTPC. These blocks were de-allocated by the Coal Ministry citing long delay by the company in developing them.
These coal mines have an annual production capacity of 13 million tonnes.
NTPC has an installed generation capacity of 39,674 MW.