The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Power project site found suitable

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Wednesday, Sep 03, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Power project site found suitable

B.S. Satish Kumar

4,000-MW project planned in Bijapur district

Central team inspected two sites last month
Bijapur plant is not an alternative to Tadadi project

BANGALORE: There seems to be a ray of hope for Karnataka’s efforts to get a 4,000-MW ultra mega power project now that a Central team of officials has expressed satisfaction with the proposed project site in Bijapur district.

The State had asked the Centre to sanction an ultra mega power project in Bijapur district even as the first such project proposed at Tadadi in Uttara Kannada has remained a non-starter because of opposition from local people.

Following the request, a team comprising officials of the Central Electricity Authority and the Power Finance Corporation, which is the special purpose vehicle for such projects, visited the proposed sites at Mannur and Kudigi in Bijapur district in the last week of August.

Water requirement

Sources in the State Government told The Hindu that the Central team was satisfied with the location, which is about 45 km from Bijapur. The project will have to be implemented at either Mannur or Kudigi, which are about 10 km apart. The project will require about 4 tmcft of water a year, which can be supplied from the Alamatti dam.

Assurance

The State Government has to now send a letter to the Centre stating that it will take steps to ensure availability of water required for the project. The issue is likely to come before the State Cabinet in its next meeting.

After that, the Government has to ask the Railways to conduct a survey to determine if it is possible to supply coal to the project site using the existing rail link. Karnataka has proposed to transport imported coal from the port in Goa to the project site. The port is about 360 km from Bijapur.

Sources said the Goa port authorities had promised all help for the project. The State Government has held a preliminary discussion with Railway Board members.

While things are looking bright for Karnataka, the only hitch is the policy for ultra mega power projects, which prefers coastal areas or pit-head locations for mega thermal power projects. The aim of the policy is to ensure that the cost of power generation does not shoot up on account of transportation expenses. The State, however, is hopeful of convincing the Centre to agree to coal being transported by rail link as it will not be too costly.

Not an alternative

Sources in the State’s power sector made it clear that the proposed power project in Bijapur district was not an alternative to the project hanging fire at Tadadi. An appropriate decision would be taken with respect to the Tadadi project, they said.

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