Petronet to set up power plant in Kerala

Petronet LNG will be setting up 1,068 Mw capacity power plant at nearby Puthuvypu at an estimated cost of Rs 3,250 crore, a top official said.

The company had held discussions with Cochin Port Trust and state government with regard to its requirement of an additional 40 hectares of land for the project and in principle approval for land transfer has been received from them, Petronet LNG Managing Director P Dasgupta told reporters here.

The KINFRA (Kerala Infrastructure Development authority) has 22.8 hectares of land in the area and Industry minister, Elamaram Kareen has been requested to allot the land for the power project, he said.

The Rs 3,750 crore LNG re-gasification project at Puthuvypu, which is expected to be commissioned by 2011, will have high investment allied projects, totalling Rs 14,500 crore in the state. The projects include power generation and silicon wafer manufacturing.

A plant for production of silicon wafers, a key component in the computer manufacturing industry, could also be started, Dasgupta said.

Petronet LNG will enter into an LNG supply agreement with Australia based Exxon Mobil in August for supply of 1.5 million tonnes of LNG per annum for 20 years. The LNG project will benefit Fertilisers and Chemials Travancore (FACT) and NTPC Kayamkulam, he added.