The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BTPS may begin power generation in March

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Thursday, Jan 03, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

BTPS may begin power generation in March

Special Correspondent

Officials issued instructions at a review meeting

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

REVIEW: L.V. Nagaraju (left), managing director, Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd., Krishna Kumar, Adviser to Governor, Dilip Rau, Principal Secretary, and Bharath Lal Meena, managing director, KPTCL, at a meeting in Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: The Government has decided to take steps to ensure that the much-delayed Bellary Thermal Power Station (BTPS)’s first unit starts power generation from March.

Instructions in this regard were given to the officials concerned on Wednesday by S. Krishnakumar, one of the advisors to Governor Rameshwar Thakur, during a review meeting here.

After the meeting, Mr. Krishnakumar told The Hindu that as per the revised schedule, the first unit of the BTPS was to commence power generation in April. However, he was trying to advance the schedule to March.

Following his instructions, a meeting has been arranged between Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), which is the project contractor, and officials of the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, which is project promoters, on Thursday.

The BTPS first unit with a capacity of 500 MWwas supposed to have commenced power generation in March 2007. However, it was put off to August that year. It is learnt that a heavy penalty has been imposed on the contractor for every single day of delay since April 1.

Meanwhile, sources in the BTPS said the first unit, which is coming up at a cost of Rs. 2,100 crore, was almost ready. However, it was yet to commence regular generation as some works and tests were pending. “We have conducted a test run once by using oil as fuel for this thermal unit,” the sources said. However, the actual thermal power generation (by using coal as fuel) is yet to start.

The commencement of operation by the new thermal unit is expected to provide a boost to power-starved Karnataka as this will generate about 3,500 million units of power a year. The unit would have provided a relief to the State during the summer months if it had commenced power generation by now. Even if it sticks to the March deadline, the State would get some relief till the onset of monsoon in June.

The BTPS, which is being set up in Kudtini village about 22 km from Bellary, will have two generating units. While the first unit is getting ready for operation by March, the preliminary works for the second unit have begun.

Summer supply

Mr. Krishnakumr said that the State was prepared for handling the power supply situation during this summer when the consumption is expected to increase sharply. He said the Government was striving to ensure that the power supply was not affected during summer. “We know that it is a crucial time for students and farmers,” he said. On the reduction of the State’s share of power from the unallocated quota of Central generating stations by 150 MW, he said the State Government had taken up the matter with the Union Government.

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