GVK Group to expand capacity at Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant

GVK Group Chairman GVK Reddy on Friday called on Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, offering to expand the capacity of GVK Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant by 1,320 Mw (2X660) in addition to the existing capacity of 540 Mw(270X2).

Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant is located over 300 km north-west of Chandigarh.

Reddy offered to set up two units of 660 Mw each with supercritical technology totalling 1860 Mw.

He informed the deputy chief minister that work on the existing 2X270 Mw Goindwal project was ahead of schedule. The project has achieved financial closure. He added the GVK group was confident of starting power generation from this plant much ahead of the scheduled date in December 2011. He said the main contractors of the project, namely BHEL and Punj Lloyd, had mobilised all the resources and all site erection of the machinery for the project was in full swing.

Offering to set up two additional units of 660 Mw with supercritical technology, Reddy said they would be able to install these units on the existing land of the unit and water availability, evacuation and rail connectivity were sufficient to meet the logistics demand of the expanded mega unit.

He said the company was laying double railway line from KhadurSahib to Sri Goindwal Sahib and was installing electrostatic precipitators to make these plants virtually pollution free.

Reddy assured with the doubling of rail line (35 kms), addition of 400 KV Transmission System, additional Coal Allocation, the capacity of Goindwal Project (1860 Mw) can be commissioned within projected time.

The proposal of GVK Group was welcomed by the Deputy Chief Minister. He said that he had already suggested GVK Group to explore the possibility of expansion of Goindwal Thermal Plant to make optimum utilisation of resources.

Reddy explained to the deputy chief minister that the expanded capacity of the Goindwal plant would accrue benefits in the shape of a mega project as permitted by the central government, carbon credits due to supercritical technology, while bridging the growing demand supply gap.