Bhavnagar power station

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{{#Badges:CoalSwarm|navbar-Indiacoal}}Bhavnagar power station, also known as Padva power station, is a 500-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station under development in Gujarat, India.

Location

The satellite photo shows the project in Padva village, Ghogha taluk, Bhavnagar district, Gujarat state.

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Background

GPCL is a nodal agency set up by the state government to promote power projects in the state. GPCL proposed the power station through Bhavnagar Energy, and received environmental clearance for the power station in 2010.[1] According to the Central Electricity Authority, the first two units of 250 MW each are under construction and projected to be commissioned in 2013.[2]

GPCL describes a somewhat smaller project, stating on its website that projects under implementation include a 3 x 125 MW pit head lignite-based power project in Bhavnagar district. The site also states that mining leases have been granted to GPCL in Surkha-I.[3]

The project was later put under GPCL subsidiary Bhavnagar Electric Company Ltd (BECL). According to the BECL website: "BECL has been promoted to exploit the lignite resources available in the Bhavnagar district in the Saurashtra region for Power generation purpose. Hence, it was proposed to install 2 X 250 MW lignite based Thermal power Station at village Padva, taluka Ghogha of Bhavnagar district in Gujarat."[4]

The India Ministry of Power reported Unit 1 was commissioned in July 2016,[5] and unit 2 in March 2017.[6]

Although the units were reported to be commissioned, satellite photos through November 2018 suggest only one unit is either operating sporadically or still undergoing testing, with only occasional smoke since November 2016. The other unit has shown no smoke.

The India Ministry of Power is also contradicted by news reports that the units have not been fully commissioned, due to widespread public opposition. In May 2018, police arrested over 500 farmers protesting against the establishment of three proposed lignite mines to supply the Bhavnagar power station. According to the Times of India, an estimated 1000 people gathered to protest against Gujarat Power Corporation Limited’s (GPCL) occupation of 1415 hectares of land it bought before 2005 but which was subsequently reoccupied and farmed by displaced villagers. The farmers have launched legal action to have the land acquisition declared void due to GPCL’s delay in occupying the land. GPCL is proposing to acquire a further 1565 hectares "once the plant is fully commissioned".[7]

Project Details

Sponsor: Bhavnagar Energy
Location: Padva village, Ghogha taluk, Bhavnagar district, Gujarat
Coordinates: 21.5831517, 72.2221792 (exact)
Status: Construction
Nameplate capacity: 500 MW (Units 1-2: 250 MW)
Type: Circulating fluidized bed
Projected in service:
Coal Source: local lignite
Estimated annual CO2: 2,217,638 tons
Source of financing:
Permits and applications: Environmental clearance, India MoEF, Feb 2, 2010

Resources and articles

References

  1. Environmental clearance, India MoEF, Feb 2, 2010
  2. Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country, Central Electricity Authority, September 2012
  3. "Power Projects: List of Approvals and Clearances required for implementation of Power Projects," GPCL, accessed February 2012.
  4. About Us, Bhavnagar Energy, accessed September 2015
  5. "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, October 2016
  6. "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, March 2017
  7. "62 teargas shells lobbed as farmers clash with policy," Times of India, 14 May 2018

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