The power situation is expected to see a dramatic change once the Kudagi thermal power plant goes operational. The foundation stone for the thermal plant near Basavana Bagewadi in Bijapur district will be laid in January next. The National Thermal Power Corporation has approved the proposal for setting up the coal-based 4,000 Mw plant at its meeting held in New Delhi on November 27.
The state government will provide the land and water.
Karnataka energy minister K S Eshwarappa, who visited the project site, said the land would be acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), and the process would be completed in five months. The 5-unit project, set to cost Rs 20,000 crore would be taken up in two stages. In the first stage, three units with a capacity of 800 Mw each will be set up while the remaining two units will come in the second stage. As of now Karnataka will get half the power generated here. Eshwarappa said, efforts will be made to get more power for the state. The locals have demanded uninterrupted power supply for the entire Basavana Bagewadi taluk.
A team of technical experts visited the proposed site at Kudagi in March this year and had submitted a report to the NTPC saying the place was suitable for a thermal plant. The state government had earlier proposed to acquire land on the either side of the main road in Kudagi for setting up the 4000 Mw plant. But the experts committee had advised the government to acquire land on only one side of the road.
Accordingly the government has decided to acquire land on one side of the road to enable the smooth supply of water from Almatti reservoir. It has issued orders for the supply of four tmc water from the Almatti reservoir for the project. Sources in the district administration said railway lines will be laid from Murmugoa Port to Kudagi to transport coal. The project when commissioned would require 12 rakes of coal a day.
