Fourth unit of NTPC-Bihar govt owned 195-Mw plant synchronised

The fourth unit of 195-Mw Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (MTPS) has been successfully synchronised with the national grid, an official said on Friday.

The plant is owned by Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Ltd, a joint venture between NTPC and Bihar State Power Generation Company Ltd, in which the two companies have 64.57% and 35.43% shares, respectively.

"The fourth unit of 195 Mw of MTPS was successfully synchronised with grid on Thurday evening," Energy Advisor to Chief Minister, P K Rai told PTI.

The third unit of 195 Mw was synchronised on March 31, 2015.

State-run power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electrical Engineering Ltd (BHEL) has been awarded the job for constructing two units of 195 Mw under expansion project.

First unit of 110 Mw at MTPS started generation in November, 2013, while the second unit of 110 Mw started generation in November, 2014, after successful renovation and modernisation work carried out by BHEL. Both the units, each of 110 Mw, had stopped generation in 2003.

Bihar will get 261 Mw (67%) from MTPS' expansion project — under which two units of 195 Mw are being constructed at Kanti in Muzaffarpur district.

The successful synchronisation of the plant at MTPS would pave way for 'commissioning' of the unit prior to the declaration of 'commercial' operation of the plant.

An official, on condition of anonymity, said that work on coal handling plant, ash plant etc still have to be completed at MTPS' expansion project.

The plant, which is being constructed at the existing site of an old power plant, would draw water from the river Burhi Gandak. It would get coal supply from a coal block of Central Coalfield Ltd located in Jharkhand.

An NTPC source said that the original estimated cost of the expansion project was Rs 3,200 crore for the construction of two units of 195 Mw plant at Muzaffarpur but the cost of the project has been revised following the escalation of price of land acquisition.