NTPC board clears Rs 12,532 cr for Darlipalli project

The board of directors of NTPC Ltd, the country’s biggest power generator, has approved an investment of Rs 12,532.44 crore for the 1,600 Mw (2x800) super thermal power project to be set up at Darlipalli in Odisha's Sundargarh district.

The NTPC board cleared the investment in a meeting held on Thursday. The super thermal power station is expected to be commissioned by 2018.

Of 1,274.9 acres private land needed for the power project’s main plant, the state government has issued possession certificate for 1,205.79 acres. Alienation proposals for 339.49 acres of government land are in different stages of processing. The maharatna firm needed 1,652 acres for this power station. Notification under Section 4 (1) of Land Acquisition Act has been issued for 32.36 acres of private land required for rehabilitation & resettlement colony. Moreover, administrative approval has been issued for acquisition of 55 acres private land for the Merry Go Round (MGR) system to carry coal to the plant.

The Darlipalli super thermal power project will draw water from the Hirakud reservoir in the Mahanadi river. NTPC has secured coal linkage for this project in the form of Dulanga coal block with mine capacity of seven million tonnes per annum (mtpa) under command area of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) and Pakri Barwadih block in Bihar's Hazaribagh district with a mining capacity of 12.5 million tonne per annum (mtpa). Odisha will get 50 per cent power from the Darlipalli project. NTPC has also committed to establish a medical college near Sundargarh. This apart, NTPC is building a 1,600 Mw power plant at Gajamara in Dhenkanal district. For this project, notification under Section 4 (1) of Land Acquisition Act has been re-issued on June 20, 2012 for 796.33 acres of private land for main plant and township. NTPC will set up a power engineering institute at Dhenkanal which is linked to its Gajamara plant.