The US-based General Electric and Bechtel, equity holders of the Dabhol power project, are teaming up with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to assess the plant condition, as a precursor to restart the 740 mw phase-I project. The plant has been lying idle for over one and a half years.
A high-level team comprising representatives from GE, Bechtel, NTPC and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board and IDBI-led lenders' consortium would visit the plant soon for assessing the plant condition, power ministry officials said after a meeting today chaired by Union power secretary R V Shahi.
The meeting, which mainly examined the technical aspects of restarting the project, was attended by NTPC chairman and managing-director C P Jain, Central Electricity Authority chairman H L Bajaj and executives from GE and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board.
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It was decided that the final decision of visiting the plant would be taken only after getting permission from the lenders. Officials said a time-frame to restart the power generation from the plant can only be given after the plant assessment was done.
The lenders had, a few months back, appointed Punj Lloyd as caretaker for managing the plant to prevent equipment damage from disuse, till the facility was operationalised.
GE had earlier objected to the time-frame for restarting the plant in 2-3 months as suggested by Union power minister Anant Geete, saying just assessment of damage of the plant might take up to three months, and the process has not yet begun.
According to officials, though plant assessment is a positive step, any concrete step for restarting the plant can be taken only after the Maharashtra State Electricity Board and the IDBI-led consortium of financial institutions arrive at a consensus on the tariff.