Amarkantak 210 Mw Unit Synchronised
The 210 Mw unit at the Amarkantak thermal power station of the Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company in Anuppur district was synchronised on oil today. The power station already has two 30 Mw units and two 120 Mw units operating. The Union Minister of State for Commerce and Power, Shri Jairam Ramesh and the Minister of Power of Madhya Pradesh Dr. Gauri Shankar Shajawar were present on the occasion.
Shri Jairam Ramesh was at pains to find out that while the synchronisation on oil of the 210 Mw unit was an important milestone, it would be another four months before the unit is scheduled to be in full commercial operation. He also expressed his anguish that the single 500 Mw unit at Birsinghpur in Umaria district (as part of the Sanjay Gandhi Thermal Power Station that already has four 210 Mw units operating) which was declared “commissioned” in June 2007 has yet to come into full commercial operation. This makes it all the more urgent and important to change the present definition of “commissioning”, he said. He said that he had been assured by BHEL that the 500 Mw unit at Birsinghpur would reach commercial operation by mid-August 2008.
The Minister said that there is urgent need for reinvigorating the renovation and modernisation programme of power plants with a view not only to increase plant load factors but also to increase efficiency measured in terms of heat rates. There are substantial deviations in observed and design heat rates (kcal/kwh). There are 77 200/210 Mw units and 5 500 Mw units with a combined capacity of around 15,000 Mw that should be considered for efficiency-oriented R&M on a priority basis.
Shri Jairam Ramesh said in 2007/08 the 520 MW the Omkareshwar project of the Narmada Hydro Development Corporation (NHDC), a 50:50 joint venture of the central government public sector enterprise NHPC and the Madhya Pradesh state government was fully commissioned. He complimented the NHDC, which was set up in August 2000, for completing the Omkareshwar Project in just about three and a half years time, which was something of a record. Earlier, the 1000 Mw Indira Sagar Project had also been commissioned. NHDC has three more projects adding up to 160 Mw which are expected to come on stream by 2011/12. Shri Jairam Ramesh also recalled that NTPC has established 3260 Mw of generating capacity at Vindhyachal in Sidhi district (6x210 Mw + 4x500 Mw).This is the largest capacity at one single location established so far in the country.
The Minister also expressed the hope that work on the 4000 Mw ultra mega power project of Reliance Power at Sasan in Sidhi District of M.P, in which the state’s share is 1500 Mw, will start soon. He said that he has been assured by Reliance Power that at least one 660 Mw unit would be commissioned in the Eleventh Plan period (before March 31st 2012). Work on the 4000 Mw ultra mega power project at Mundra in Gujarat being put up by Tata Power has already commenced with boilers being supplied by the South Korean company Doosan and the turbine-generator sets by Toshiba. The third 4000 Mw ultra power project at Krishnapattnam in Andhra Pradesh also being implemented by Reliance Power is at a very advanced stage of finalisation. The letter of intent for the fourth UMPP at Tiliaya in Jharkhand would also be issued very shortly.
PRA/SKK
(Release ID :39598)