UPPCL to bid for coal blocks

Bidding terms allow the developers to utilise coal from these blocks in projects being set up under the now defunct MoU route

The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) would bid for the 17 coal blocks on offer by the Centre for the nine proposed thermal-power plants in the state.

The bidding terms allow the developers to utilise coal from these blocks in projects being set up under the now defunct memorandum of understanding (MoU) route.

Collectively, all these proposed projects, MoUs for which were signed during the previous Mayawati regime, total about 10,500 Mw.

The fate of these projects had been in jeopardy as they could not secure coal linkage from the Centre within the stipulated timeframe. Under the MoU terms, the state had the power to forfeit the private developers’ collective security deposit of about Rs 500 crore.

However, on June 7, 2012, the Akhilesh Yadav-led state government, conceding to the request of the developers, had allowed these projects a maximum timeframe of 18 months to secure the required coal linkage.

Since UP had already been facing demand-supply gap of almost 3,000 Mw, the government decided to give them another chance in the interests of the rising energy requirement.

The collective investment in these projects till fructification was pegged at Rs 50,000 crore by the Mayawati government. Now, there would certainly be cost overruns, which was yet to be ascertained by the government.

“We will bid for the 17 coal blocks and would allocate coal to the individual developers on merit of their preparedness to set up the project,” state energy principal secretary and UPPCL chairman Sanjeev Kumar Mittal said here this evening.

Some work on these projects had already been completed by the developers, including land acquisition and water availability.

The nine projects include the 1,320 Mw Bhognipur-I, 1,320 Mw Bhognipur-II, 1,980 Mw Lalitpur, 600 Mw Murka, 1,980 Mw Lalitpur, 250 Mw Barabanki, 250 Mw Auraiya, 1,320 Mw Sandila and 1,320 Mw Mirzapur.