Private power units have Maya's blessings

In a bid to send conciliatory signals to the corporate world Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has said her government would extend all possible support to the three power projects being executed in the private sector.

Mayawati today said her government would ensure that the power projects in the private sector were completed on time.

The announcement came as a major relief to Mulayam Singh Yadav's friends in the corporate world, who were jittery after the BSP formed the government on its own on May 13.

Soon after taking over, Mayawati put a spanner in the 1,200-acre SEZ, in Greater Noida, being promoted by the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG).

The UP government has sent adverse recommendation to the Centre about Anil Ambani's project stating that the SEZ does not conform to the guidelines laid down by the Centre.

Mayawati has already announced to scrap the Sugar Policy and dissolved the UP Development Council. Besides this, the Lucknow Development Authority has issued notice to the Sahara group regarding a construction of a building in Sahara Shahar.

The UP chief minister has also announced to review the Dadri gas-based power project being promoted by the Reliance Energy Ltd (REL).

One of the three power projects in the private sector is REL's coal-fired 1,200-Mw Roza thermal power plant in Shahjahanpur district. ADAG acquired this project from the Aditya Birla group in November last year and its capacity was expanded from 600 Mw to 1,200 Mw.

The two other power plants are the 1,000-Mw coal-based Anpara C project which was awarded to Lanco Kondapalli in September last year and the 330-Mw hydro project in Uttarakhand promoted by the Tata Power Company.

The 1,000-Mw Anpara C thermal power project, the first power project to be awarded to the private sector on the basis of competitive bidding is progressing according to the schedule. Lanco Kondapalli had outbid REL.

The power purchase agreement for the project between the Lanco Anpara Power Pvt Ltd and the UP Thermal Power Generation Corporation was signed on November 12 last year.