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NTPC’s MP power plant gets green nod from panel

A high-level committee has recommended environmental clearance for state-owned NTPC's 1,320-MW Khargone power project in Madhya Pradesh, but with certain riders. "The Committee recommended the project for environmental clearance subject to... specific conditions," a company official said.

The stipulations for the project, estimated to cost Rs 7,000 crore, are the coal transportation should be by rail, the sulphur and ash content of coal shall not exceed 0.5 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively, and the latest authenticated satellite imagery shall be submitted annually to monitor alterations of the area, the official said. The country's largest power producer, NTPC, had earlier invited bids for construction of the thermal project. Infrastructure firm Larsen & Toubro had in April bagged the contract from NTPC to set up the power project.

"...the project entails design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of two coal?fired thermal units of 660 MW each with ultra?supercritical (energy efficient) parameters," Larsen & Toubro had earlier said. NTPC had earlier said it plans to finance the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) package for Khargone plant through external commercial borrowings and its own resources. Meanwhile, as part of Centre’s efforts to enhance power transmission capacity in southern states, transmission lines worth Rs 1 lakh crore would be enabled in another six months, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday. These projects were implemented to enhance transmission capacity for all southern states, not only for next few years, but for the next 20 years, the Power minister told reporters on the sidelines of a function here where he launched the Centre’s social security schemes. To a question on power shortage in Tamil Nadu, especially in the industrial belt of Coimbatore, Goyal said in order to increase the transmission capacity, the southern grid had already been connected with the national grid.

“The Power Grid Corporation has been given the contract to increase transmission capacity at an investment of Rs 30,000 crore and as the project is likely to get over in another two years, all south Indian states should help the Centre execute the project by giving ‘Right of Way’ permission,” 
he said. 

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