Big guns line up for Gujarat, MP

State-run NTPC Ltd, private sector giants Tata, Reliance, Essar, L&T and GMR, Japan's Sumitomo and Khanjee holdings of the US have submitted bids to develop the two 4,000-Mw ultra mega power plants in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The Power Finance Corporation (PFC), which is the nodal agency for conducting the bidding process for these plants, has received 13 requests for qualifications for the Mundra project in Gujarat and 15 requests for Sasan in Madhya Pradesh, official sources said.

They added that seven to eight companies had bid for both projects. The deadline for submission of requests is June 1. Each of these plants, which are part of seven such projects initiated by the power ministry, will need an investment of Rs 16,000 crore.

Tata Power, Anil Ambani Group firm Reliance Energy Ltd, engineering giant Larsen and Toubro, Ruias-controlled Essar Power, Hyderabad-based Lanco and AES India are among those that have bid for both the coal-fired projects.

Jindal Steel and Power, GMR Energy, Jaiprakash Associates, Suez Energy India Ltd and public sector NTPC Ltd have bid only for the pithead-based Sasan project, while Japanese giant Sumitomo and Khanjee have submitted requests only for the Mundra project.

Vedanta group company Sterlite, Ahmedabad-based Torrent Power and Kolkata-based CESC Ltd have also submitted bids for these projects.