Tata Power to invest Rs 6,000 cr in Jharkhand

Domestic major Tata Power will invest Rs 6,000 crore to generate 1,300 mw in Jharkhand in the next three to four years, company's Managing Director Prasad R Menon said today.

An estimated Rs 640 crore will be invested for the new plant having 120 mw capacity, Menon, who was in the steel city for the ceremony of the company's fifth unit at Jojobera plant, said. The plant was expected to be commissioned by mid of 2009, he said.

However, no further expansion of the Jojobera plant is possible owing to lack of space after the completion of the fifth unit. Work for a second 120 mw gas-driven power plant, the sixth unit of the company here, was in progress inside the Tata Steel premises here and likely to be commissioned by middle of next year, Menon said.

Elaborating the company's future investment plans in Jharkhand, Menon said. Tata Power has plans to invest Rs 6,000 crore for power plants which included the 2x120 mw plant in a period of three-four years.

However, everything would depend on the allotment of land and coal blocks linkage, for which the company already applied and received assurance of allotment from the government, he said.

Menon said the government has approved a coal block in Tubad in Latehar district, which would support power generation up to 500 mw.