Reliance Plans Rs 8,000cr Up Power Project
Reliance Industries plans to set up a 2,000 mw power project in Uttar Pradesh. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 8,000 crore, which would make it one of the largest power projects ever undertaken by Reliance.
The proposal for this project was made by the Uttar Pradesh state government to Reliance. The coal-based, pit head power project, which is supposed to come up at Partapur, is one of the earliest and largest projects the state had undertaken.
The state government had first invited bids for the project in 1995. It received bids from five foreign and Indian companies. Sources indicated that the government had even shortlisted a US-based NRI company called ISNI (International). However, the project was ultimately not awarded to any of the bidders.
After a gap of almost three years, the state government invited Reliance_one of the bidders in 1995_to execute the project. The company has written back to the state government expressing its interest in the project.
Once the plans for the project are finalised, the Partapur project will be the largest in North India.
The other two power projects underway in Uttar Pradesh include the 500 mw Rosa project, being jointly developed by PowerGen of UK and Indo-Gulf Fertilisers and the 778 mw Jawaharpur thermal project being developed by Canasia.
At present, Reliance is developing two projects, including the 500mw Jamnagar project in Gujarat and the 420mw Patalganga project in Maharashtra. It is awaiting the CEA's clearance for the Jamnagar project, while it has already got a "conditional clearance" from the CEA for the Patalganga project.