Goenka Group's Haldia plant to produce power by December

CESC, the flagship company of the R.P.-Sanjiv Goenka Group, is all set to commission its Rs.4,600-crore thermal power plant at Haldia in West Bengal's East Midnapore district. The plant will become operational early next year.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the 600-MW (two units of 300-MW each) plant, which has been set up by Haldia Energy Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of CESC (Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation) Nov 26.

"The first phase of the project, comprising 300-MW power, will be commissioned in the first week of December followed by the commissioning of the next 300-MW by February (2015)," CESC chairman Sanjiv Goenka told media persons here.

"We have been targeting to become self reliant in power generation and with the commissioning of the Haldia plant, our total capacity would go up to 2,500 MW," said Goenka, adding that the new plant has the country's highest transmission towers at a height of 236 metres.

China-based Shanghai Electric Corp. supplied the boiler turbine-generator for the plant set up over 317 acres of land. Punj Lloyd was the engineering procurement and construction contractor for the project.