GMR to sell power to Haryana

Close on the heels of bagging the Delhi airport upgradation project, GMR group plans to supply power up to 700 mega watt to Haryana from its proposed 1,000 mega watt power generation project in Orissa.

The company also plans to enter the power transmission business, and is in the race for bagging two transmission projects worth Rs 1,800 crore in western India.

The group is eyeing two independent private transmission company projects in Maharashtra and Gujarat. "We are bidding jointly with KEC International for two western region private transmission projects for which the bids are expected to close in September," director, GMR Energy PB Vanchi told Business Standard.

While the Maharashtra transmission project involves setting up a 1,000 kilometres of 400 KV line, involving a cost of Rs 1,200 crore, the Gujarat project involves setting up a 500 km of 400 KV link for Rs 600 crore.

The bids for these two projects are to be finalised by the end of 2006. The group will be competing with Reliance Energy, Tata Power and other international players for these projects, Vanchi added.

The group also plans to bid for the supply of 700 MW of power to Haryana and has aligned the development of its 1000 MW Orissa power project.

The bid will be decided by December end this year. While Orissa will receive 300 MW power from the project, the rest will be diverted to Haryana.

The construction for group's coal pit head project in Dhenkanal is expected to start by the end of 2007 and is expected to be completed by 2011.