Rajasthan to set up 500 Mw power plant

To meet the growing demand for electricity in the state, the Rajasthan government has decided to set up a 500 Mw power plant in the Chowki Motipura area near Kota.The plant is expected to generate 4,500 Mw of additional electricity by 2012.

The foundation stone for the Rs 1,750 crore thermal power plant will be laid by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje tomorrow. The plant will have two units of 250 Mw each, and is part of the Chhabra Super Thermal Power Project. It will be set up by the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd.

According to a state official, the Rajasthan government will fund 10 per cent (Rs 175 crore) of the total project cost, and the remaining amount of Rs 1,575 crore will be raised from financial institutions in the form of loan.

"The state government has already made a provision of Rs 55 crore in the budget for 2005-06 to meet the initial cost of the power project," he said.

The power unit will be spread over 523 hectares of land. The site for the project had already been identified in January 2005, the official said. The state government has appointed TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd as the consultant for the proposed power project.

According to the official, the first unit will be ready by September 2008, and the second unit in December 2008. Once completed, the power project is expected to contribute 12 million units of electricity a day to the state power grid.

"The power project will not only meet the growing requirements of the industry, but also create direct and indirect job opportunities for the youth in the state," the power department official said.

The power unit will need 2.6 million tonnes of coal and 800 million cubic feet of water a year in the first phase. The state government has initiated the process to meet the demand.

According to initial calculations, electricity from the power plant will be available at the rate of Rs 2.07 per unit in the first year of production.

The state has an installed a generation capacity of 5,296 Mw. Of this, the state generates 54 per cent (2,858 Mw ) on its own, 18 per cent (973 Mw) through shared projects, and 28 per cent (1,464 Mw) in association with central public sector undertakings. Of the total installed power generation capacity, thermal power accounts for 3,207 Mw, hydroelectricity 1,333 Mw, nuclear energy 469 Mw, wind power 280 Mw and other sources 7 Mw. Per capita energy consumption in the state is 451 Kwh.