Hooda pitches for NTPC nuke plant

The Haryana government today pitched for a 2,800-Mw nuclear power plant, besides seeking a coal-based and a gas-fired plant, of public sector firm NTPC Ltd for mitigating the state's electricity shortages.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, said a 2,800 Mw nuclear plant had been under consideration for some time.

The site had been identified and the state government had confirmed the availability of water for the project, he said, adding that due to uncertainty over coal and gas, the nuclear project needed to be expedited to solve the state's power woes.

The state was perennially short of power, he said, and suggested that NTPC locate its proposed 1,000 Mw coal-based plant in Haryana instead of in Delhi. The electricity generated could be shared equally between the two states, he was quoted as saying in a release.

Hooda also said NTPC had only one gas-based 432-Mw plant in Haryana. The navratna company planned to set up another 432 Mw plant in the state and had sought adequate gas for the project to be completed during the 11th plan, he said. Hooda also sought a ban on trading of power received from central unallocated pool on grounds that surplus states, particularly in the eastern region, were selling this electricity through traders at exorbitant rates.