Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the Union Power Minister RK Singh Wednesday to take steps for an early execution of the Stage-III project of Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS).
Patnaik wrote a letter to Singh and stated that TTPS is one of the oldest thermal power stations in India which was set up by the State government. The Stage-I (240 MW) project was commissioned in 1968 and Stage-II (220 MW) in 1982. However, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) acquired it in 1995, the letter read.
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According to official sources, in 2010 the NTPC proposed to expand the production capacity of the power station. It wanted to install two separate power production units of 660 MW capacities each.
This situation prompted the State designated agency GRIDCO Limited, Bhubaneswar to sign a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the NTPC in December 2010 for the 660 MW units.
On other hand, all production units of the NTPC-owned thermal power station in Angul district have been shutdown from Monday night. Closure of the TTPS will have severe direct and indirect impacts on thousands of families and the district’s economy as well.
CM Patnaik requested the Union Minister in his letter to direct NTPC to address the concerns pertaining to closure of TTPS as well as to take adequate steps for an early execution the Stage-III project.
The Chief Minister also assured the Union Minister and the Central government of providing all kinds of support from the State government in this regard.
Notably, the TTPS Stage-III expansion project had already got approval of the State government in February 2020.
PNN
