Pudimadaka Ultra Mega Power Project
{{#badges: CoalSwarm|Navbar-Indiacoal}} Pudimadaka Ultra Mega Power Project is a proposed 4,000-megawatt coal-fired power station by NTPC in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Contents
Location
The map below shows the location of Pudimadaka village near Anakapalle, but not the exact location of the project.
Background
NTPC and the government of Andhra Pradesh signed a draft power purchase agreement for this project in early 2011, but subsequently the company made no progress on land acquisition.[1]
In January 2014 project sponsor NTPC said it was planning on fast-tracking the project. The project was initially to use domestic coal, but facing difficulty in securing a coal linkage, it may use imported coal. NTPC is awaiting land clearance from the state government, and will then seek the necessary permits, after which it will take an estimated 42 months to implement the five 800 MW units.[2]
In September 2014, The Hindu reported that NTPC will receive fast-track status for the project. 1200 acres were reported to have been allotted the project. According to the report, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has instructed officials to accord all clearances without delay. The next step in the process will be land acquisition, followed by geotechnical investigation, topography, and environmental assessment studies, and then public hearings.[1]
A terms of reference was issued for the project in February 2015.[3] A public hearing on the plant was held in August 2015. An estimated one thousand local people attended, many of them opposing the plant based on its pollution effects.[4]
In March 2016 the India government said it planned to bid out three ultra mega power projects that year: Cheyyur in Tamil Nadu, Bedabahal in Odisha and Banka in Bihar. Pudimadaka was not included.[5]
NTPC continues to pursue the project, and will consider a government request to have it fueled by domestic rather than imported coal.[6] In November 2016 it was reported that long-term coal linkage was delayed, "and there was no progress in the project except acquiring 1,200 acres from the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation."[7]
In May 2017 it was reported the Union Cabinet gave the thumbs-up to a new coal linkage policy, the first step in NTPC being allotted a coal block at Ranigunj Coalfields for the plant. “Now we will wait for the detailed policy to decide what to do next,” a senior NTPC official told The Hindu. According to the Hindu: "The glut in the power sector may also force the NTPC not to take up the project immediately even if it is sanctioned fuel linkage." The project has not progressed beyond acquiring 1,200 acres for the plant two years ago.[8]
In March 2018 it was reported the BJP government had taken a decision to minimize coal imports as the domestic coal reserves are adequate, and that in response the Ministry of Defense had refused permission for construction of a captive port for the Pudimadaka UMPP to import coal. Instead, the Ministry of Coal has been requested a Long Term Coal Linkage and allocation of a Captive Coal Block with high grade coal to meet the coal requirements of the proposed Pudimadaka Project.[9]
In June 2018 NTPC said it had decided not to move forward with the plant, as the project was deemed "unviable".[10]
Project Details
Sponsor: NTPC
Location: Pudimadaka village, Achutapuram mandel, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates: 17.492713, 83.002767 (approximate)
Status: Cancelled
Nameplate capacity:
- Unit 1: 800MW
- Unit 2: 800MW
- Unit 3: 800MW
- Unit 4: 800MW
- Unit 5: 800MW
Type: Supercritical
Projected in service:
Coal Type:
Coal Source: Originally imported coal, estimated at 19.8 million tonnes per annum[1], but as of 2017 seeking domestic linkage at Ranigunj Coalfields[8]
Estimated annual CO2:
Source of financing:
Permit and applications: "Terms of Reference," India MoEF, Feb. 25, 2015
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Santosh Patnaik, "NTPC Pudimadaka power plant to get fast-track status," The Hindu, September 9, 2014
- ↑ "NTPC seeks to fast track Pudimadaka project," The Hindu Online, Jan 29, 2014.
- ↑ "Terms of Reference," India MoEF, Feb. 25, 2015
- ↑ "Public hearing for NTPC 4,000 MW project held amid protests," The Hindu, Aug 12, 2015
- ↑ "Energiser for mega power projects," Telegraph, March 1, 2016
- ↑ "India backtracks on import-only coal power plant amid fuel glut," Live Mint, Aug 4, 2016
- ↑ "Delay in coal linkage hits deadline of NTPC Pudimadaka project," The Hindu, Nov 28, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Santosh Patnaik, "Hopes revive on Pudimadaka project," The Hindu, May 19, 2017
- ↑ "Hurdles galore for proposed NTPC thermal power project," Hans India, Mar 13, 2018
- ↑ "Four mega projects shelved in the State," The Hindu, June 19, 2018
Related SourceWatch articles
External resources
External articles
- "NTPC's Pudimadaka plant to get fast-track clearances," The Hindu, January 7, 2011
- V. Rishi Kumar, "NTPC to take up another mega project in South," The Hindu Business Line, January 23, 2012
