Kothagudem new unit ready by December

HYDERABAD: Telangana is all set to create a record in December by completing the 800 MW Kothagudem Thermal

Power Station

(KTPS) in less than 36 months. The project was given to state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) in January, 2015 at an estimatedcostof `3,810crore.Thesuper critical thermal power plant was awarded on

EPC

(engineering, procurement and construction) basis and an advance of `350 crore was handed over by chief minister

KChandrasekhar Rao

.

“We are going to create a record in the country by completing a massive supercriticalthermal projectof 800 MW capacity in 36 months. No state or public sector undertaking has done this before,” energy minister G JagadishReddy toldTOI.

With the latest addition, KTPS capacity will cross 2,620 MW. The KTPS already has six phases of thermal stations with a capacity of 1,820 MW thermal power generation. The new 800 MW projectisexpectedtoboostindustrial activity in the newly formed Kothagudem–Bhadradridistrict. Apart from KTPS, works are in full swing on two other projects.

The

Telangana Genco

, which has taken up the ambitious plan to add atleast 10,000 MW installed capacity, is leaving no stone unturned to complete works on the first phase of the 1,080 MW Bhadradri thermal power project. The first unit of 270 MW is expected to be completed by the end of June, 2018. The work on this project was delayed due to objections raisedby theNationalGreen Tribunal.Thesewere resolvedin March and the work began in

Aprilthis

year.

“The work at Bhadradri projectis going on at a fast pace and we are hoping to commission the first unit by the end of June. The project will provide great relief to Khammam, Mahabubabad, Warangal, Bhongir and

Nalgonda

districts, where industrial activity is picking up,” D Prabhakar Rao, Telagana GencoCMDtoldTOI. Similarly,the works atthe 4,000 MW Yadadri themal power project has been started by BHEL.

The `20,400 crore supercritical thermal power project is being constructed atDamaracharla in Nalgonda district. Touted as the single largest order for BHEL so far and the highest value order ever placed in the power sector in thecountry,theYadadri project is on the verge of getting the required permissions, including one from the Union environment and forest ministry.Telangana Genco is aiming to complete this massive projectby 2021.