Foundation stone laid for UMPP in K'taka

In a step towards attaining self-sufficiency in power generation in the state, the foundation stone was laid for a super-thermal power project at Kudgi village, 45 km from Bijapur in Karnataka, on Saturday.

The Stage-I of the Kudgi Super-Thermal Power Project (KSTPP) envisages production of 3x800 Mw of thermal power and the ultimate capacity of the project is expected to be 4,000 Mw. The project, when commissioned, could change the face of the north Karnataka region by facilitating irrigation projects and industrial units, thereby opening up vast job opportunities.

While 50 per cent of the power generated would be used within the state, the rest will be shared with Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

 

After laying the foundation stone at the plant site at Basavanabagewadi taluk of Bijapur district. Union minister for power, Sushilkumar Shindhe, said, "The Centre was committed to providing all the necessary help to the states in their efforts to gain self-sufficiency in power generation." "The Centre is ready to give another thermal power project at Gulbarga in Karnataka if the state government comes forward to provide land and water."

Speaking on the occasion, Shindhe said that the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) had taken up the task of KSTPP at a cost of Rs 15,166 crore and Karnataka had provided 3,500 acre for the project, besides 162 cusecs of water from the Almatti dam.

The minister said that the Centre would take steps to provide power transmission corridors to Karnataka, which is facing problems in transmitting power from Chhattisgarh, and also promised to provide coal blocks and coal linkages.

The proposal sent by Karnataka in this regard has been forwarded to the coal ministry with favourable recommendations, Shindhe said, adding that the power lines had been laid up to Sholapur and Belgaum from Maharashtra and they would reach Chennai via Karnataka by 2014.