Joining the scramble for natural gas as preferred fuel for power generation, Haryana has sought 7.5 million standard cubic meters per day of gas (mmscmd) for a proposed power plant at Faridabad preferably from Reliance Industries' (RIL) eastern offshore fields.
Haryana has decided to phase out an old 165 Mw coal-based power plant at Faridabad due to poor efficiency, high cost of generation and environmental/safety concerns and replace it with a 1,500 Mw (2x750 Mw) gas-based plant, official sources said.
For the proposed plant, Haryana Chief Minister has written to the Petroleum Ministry seeking 7.5 mmscmd of gas. RIL, which is setting up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Jhajjar in Haryana, also would need 8 mmscmd of gas for its 2,100 Mw captive power plant it is setting up at the same SEZ.
The Chief Minister has sought amendment to the Gas Utilisation Plan 2008 approved by an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) that places new power projects at the sixth position after fertiliser plants, LPG and petrochemical plants, existing power plants, city gas distribution and refineries, for receiving gas from KG-D6 fields of RIL.
Sources said he has reasoned the need for reconsidering the allocation priorities as fertilisers can be imported but power cannot.
