Karnataka - Bellary   

BTPS likely to get a boost

B.S. Satish Kumar

Proposal for two more units submitted

Bellary: The Bellary Thermal Power Station (BTPS) may get two more generating units in addition to the two units of 500 MW each that have already been sanctioned. A Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) proposal for two more units is before the State Government. If it is sanctioned, Bellary could well become the ‘power capital’ of the State.

Highly placed sources in the KPCL, which is implementing the BTPS project at Kudathini village near Bellary, told The Hindu that the Corporation had had identified 2,100 acres of land near the BTPS that could be acquired for the exp ansion project if two more units were sanctioned.

The first 500-MW unit of the BTPS is expected to being generating power by August, and the second unit is expected to be ready in about three years. KPCL’s proposal for the expansion project does not mention the capacity of the generating units.

According to sources, KPCL wants the minimum capacity of each unit to be 500 MW, going up to 800 MW. If that happens, the third and fourth units will be the State’s biggest.

The decision on capacity will be based on the future power requirements and projected consumption. High-capacity units will reduce land requirement and, thereby, the project cost. More power can be added to the grid in a shorter time.

KPCL has already called for Notice Inviting Tenders for preparing a Detailed Project Report for the proposed expansion of the BTPS.

KPCL is also planning to get water from the Narayanapura dam built across the Krishna, 150 km away in Bijapur district. A survey is being conducted to find out whether it is feasible to bring water from such a long distance, sources said. A new power transmission line must also be set up for evacuation of power if the BTPS expansion project is to be implemented.

Bellary’s ‘backward’ tag may well disappear if the BTPS starts generating 2,000 to 2,600 MW of power once the expansion project is approved.

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