The proposal of the Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) to set up a 1000 Mw (2x500Mw) power plant at Luni in Dhenkanal district of Orissa will require fresh approval of the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) following change of site of the project.
The project envisaging an investment of Rs 4090 crore was earlier cleared by both the SLSWCA and the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) headed by the chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
“We will keep the single window informed as the power plant is proposed to come up in a site different from the original one”, Ashok Kumar Meena, managing director, Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Ltd (Ipcol) said.
Originally, JSL had chosen Gajamara in Dhenkanal district as the site for its proposed power plant.
But the area was later allotted to the National Thermal Power Plant (NTPC) by the state government for setting up of a 3200 Mw thermal power station.
The government had asked JSL to look for an alternative site following which the company has now zeroed in on Luni in Dhenkanal district to locate the plant. The new site is 7 kms away from national highway no.42 and 12 kms from Dhenkanal railway station.
Meanwhile, the state energy department has communicated Ipicol about the change of the site of the project.
Sources said, the project requires about 2000 acres which includes 1200 acres for setting up of power unit, water reservoir, coal stock yard, ash pond and residential colony. The remaining 800 acres will used to create green belt.
While 25 percent of the power generated at the plant will be sold to the Orissa government, 65 percent will be supplied to power deficit states and the remaining 10 percent will be kept for merchandised sale. JSL will need approximately 40 cusecs of water for the project.
Though Brahmani river flows close to the project site, the company plans to source water from Mahanadi river, a little distance away, as there is not sufficient water available in Brahmani river at present.
Water flow of Mahanadi is estimated to be 15,000 cusecs, out of which 10,000 cusecs flow to Meramundali after diversion through the Puri canal.
The project requires 6.2 million tonne coal per annum which will be supplied through a linkage with the Talcher coalfields of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) till a separate coal block is allotted to the company.
The project will have a debt and equity ratio of 70:30. It has equity component of Rs 1226.8 crore with debt portion being Rs 2863.4 crore.
It may be noted, the HLCA recently cleared a proposal of JSL to expand the capacity of its integrated stainless steel project at Kalinganagar to 3.2 million tonne.
Out of this, 1.6 mtpa is stainless steel and the remaining 1.6 mtpa carbon steel.
The hot strip mill of the JSL’s Kalinganagar plant is now under erection and is expected to be commissioned by mid-2010.
