NTPC hopes to get land for Darlipalli project by Sep 2013

Plans to float tenders for boilers in Jul-Sep

India’s largest thermal power producer, NTPC on Tuesday said, it expects the land acquisition process for Darlipali super thermal power project having 1,600 Mw generation capacity will get completed by the second quarter of next financial year.

After that, tenders will be floated for boiler.

“We can go ahead with the equipment orders only when the land acquisition is complete. We hope 338 acres of state government land and 34.5 acre of forest land will be handed over to us by July 2013. And after we get 69 acres of private land, we hope to float tender for boilers in second quarter of next fiscal,” said M S Soin, regional executive director of NTPC at a press meet here.

The company will also re-invite tenders for turbines as the original bidder BGR Energy last week pulled out from Rs 800 crore supply commitment citing clearance issues.

The company has so far got possession of 1,205 acre land at Darlipali village of Sundergarh district, all of which were private land. It said, it has replied to almost all queries of Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) regarding diversion of forest land and acquiring state government land would not be a problem.

“So far there has been no public resistance to the land acquisition process at Darlipali. We are hopeful that the process of acquiring remaining land will get completed without any hurdles,” said Soin.

The company has plans to invest Rs 12,850 crore for the super thermal project. The state government would get half of the electricity generated at the plant, for which the coal linkage has been assured.

The 1,600 Mw plant will be fed by Dulanga coal mine allotted to the company and water will be provided from Hirakud reservoir.

NTPC, at present, has two projects in Orissa, the Talcher Thermal (460 MW) and Talcher Kaniha ( 3,000 MW). It has plans to compete Darlipali project four years after land acquisition.