R-Power project to get commissioned by 2013

Reliance Power has committed to the Union Ministry of Power and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to advance the commissioning schedule of Sasan UMPP by three years, at a review meeting on UMPPs held in New Delhi, last week, said sources.
The project, with captive coal mines, was scheduled to be commissioned between May 2013 and April 2016 as per the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

Informed sources said Reliance Power was close to announce details on service contractors for the project and was gearing up for financial closure by October, this year.

Tata Power had achieved financial closure for the Mundra project during the last month. The first of Mundra's six units are likely to be commissioned by September 2011 and the entire project is slated to take off by March 2013.

Tata Power's Mundra UMPP is also ahead of earlier schedule by 11 months for the first unit and by 17 months for the project commissioning, said sources. 

Reliance Power has committed the government to advance the commissioning of its first unit by 16 months to December 2011, as against May 2013 as per the PPA. The second unit will come after three months in March 2012. In total, 1320 Mw would be commissioned in 11th five year plan itself, said sources.

India is planning to add 78,000 Mw of power in the 11th five year plan and 4000 Mw each eight to nine UMPPs are likely to come up in different parts of the country. So far three UMPPs at Mundra (Tata Power), Sasan and Krishnapatanam (Reliance Power) have been awarded based on competitive bidding.

Efforts are also on to award the Tilaiya UMPP in Jharkhand.