Naveen Patnaik seeks alternate coal blocks for OTPCL

He wrote in a letter to the PM that the cost of extracting coal from Tentuloi coal block will be prohibitively high

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has urged the Prime Minister to scrap the Tentuloi coal block allocated to state PSU Odisha Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (OPTCL) and instead, allocate an alternative coal block.

The MoC had allocated the Tentuloi coal block to OTPCL to cater to its 3200 Mw coal-based super critical power plant proposed at Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district.

"As the cost of extracting coal from this deep cast mine will be prohibitively high, the Ministry of Coal (MoC) has been requested several times for cancellation of the said coal block, I had requested to allot Chhendipada and Chhendipada II coal blocks in lieu of Tentuloi coal block to OTPCL. But no coal block has been allocated in favour of OTPCL", Patnaik wrote in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He called for allocation of Baitarani East coal block to OTPCL to cater to the requirement of the power project. The Baitarani East coal block having a tentative reserve of about 600 million tonne but geographically, it is situated far away from the command area of operations of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL). Patnaik pointed out that it would be easier for the state PSU to develop this coal mine as it is bordering another coal mine- Baitarani West coal mine recently allocated to the state government.

Alternatively, Karadabahal and Brahmanibil coal blocks which are located nearby and having adequate coal reserves may be considered for allocation of the state PSU.