Land identified for 2 pvt power projects in UP

The UP Thermal Power Generation Corporation has approved plans for the acquisition of land for two coal-based thermal power projects in Allahabad district. One will be located in the Bara sub-division and other at Karchana.

The corporation has sent the proposal to the state government for the acquisition of 2,100 acres of land for the coal-based 2,000 Mw thermal power plant at Bara and 991 acres of land at Karchana for the 1,000 Mw coal-based plant. The corporation has also earmarked Rs 50 crore for the land for both the projects.

Corporation Managing Director Avaneesh Awasthi said: "As soon as the process of land acquisition is completed, global tenders would be floated for the award of both the projects to the private sector."

Both the projects would be awarded on the tariff-based bidding process, as was the case in the awarding of the contract for the 1,000 Mw Anpara C project. The contract was won by the Hyderabad-based Lanco Kundapalli, outbidding the Reliance Energy Ltd.

"The coal linkage for both the projects will not be a problem because the Union coal ministry has given a commitment to UP, and the process is likely to be completed soon after the award of the project to the private bidder," said Awasthi.

"For getting mega power project status, 75 per cent of the power generated would go to UP while rest will go to other states," he added. Awasthi said the UP government would try its best to get the project commissioned by the end of Eleventh five-year plan in 2012.

The UP government, buoyed by the success of the award of the contract for the 1,000 Anpara C thermal power project to the private sector in October last year, had initiated the process of setting up two plants with 3,000 Mw capacity in the private sector in Allahabad district.

Owing to the nationwide furore over the acquisition of vast tracts of land for the SEZ, barren land in Karchana and Bara are to be acquired for the new plants. Besides, both the sites have adequate water resources for the power plants.