Udupi power station
{{#badges: CoalSwarm|Navbar-Indiacoal}}Udupi power station is a 1200-megawatt (MW) power station in Karnataka, India.
Another 1,600 MW has been proposed.
Contents
Location
The undated satellite photo below shows the power station in Padubidri Industrial Area, Udupi district, Karnataka state, India. The location is north of State Highway 1, west of Padubidri. It is close to the Shambavi River, roughly 7 or 8 km from the coast where the imported coal for the power plant is transported to the plant through rail line.[1]
Background
The power station was built by Lanco and owned by Udupi Power Corporation Ltd. (UPCL). It is based on imported coal. The configuration of the operating plant is as follows:[2]
- Unit 1 - 600 MW - 2010
- Unit 2 - 600 MW - 2011
According to the India Central Electricity Authority, the second unit of the plant was given an augmented capacity of 600 MW (original capacity was 507.5 MW) that was commissioned on April 16, 2011.[3]
Expansion: Units 3 and 4
The company received a terms of reference in 2010 for units 3 & 4, each 660 MW.[4] The company received Terms of Reference for the project on August 11, 2010.[5]
No further permits were sought, as Lanco faced financial difficulties and protests against the expansion.
Adani buys plant, revives expansion
In July 2014 Lanco sold the power station to Adani Power. According to news sources, "the Udupi plant’s capacity is likely to be ramped up soon by another 1,320 MW, with fuel linkages being discussed."[6]
On August 13, 2015, Adani received a terms of reference for a units 3 and 4 of 800 MW each.[7] They would be supercritical and use imported coal.[8][9] In the EIA, released December 2016, Adani said it is debating between super and ultra-supercritical technology for the plant.[10]
Environmental clearance was granted for two 800 MW supercritical units on August 1, 2017.[11] In June 2018 Adani signed a concession agreement with New Mangalore Port Trust for an additional 4.99 hectares of land for the expansion project.[12]
In March 2019, the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal at New Delhi declared “illegal” all clearances granted to proposed expansion of the plant. The NGT noted that the “genuinely serious” issues raised by the villagers and petitioner had not been given due attention by the concerned authorities including the government, and said environmental clearance had been granted without following due process prescribed by the law.[13]
On August 12, 2019, Adani Udupi wrote to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, seeking a new terms of reference (ToR) for the expansion of the project.[14]
Coal supply
The Udupi power station has a captive jetty of 4 million tonnes per annum, and an external coal handling system located at the New Mangalore Port in Mangalore, Karanataka.[15]
June 2011: Protesters block railway to protest coal transportation to Udupi power station
On June 1, 2011, activists with the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) blocked the Mangalore-Mumbai Matsyagandha Express train for 10 minutes in Nandikoor, Karnataka. The purpose of the protest was to show opposition to the transportation of coal by railway from the New Mangalore Port to the Udupi station. According to the activists, a condition for the environmental clearance granted to the plant was that coal would be transported through a closed conveyer system. Transportation in open railroad cars was producing damage to crops, agricultural land, drinking water, and public health, according to the activists.[16] Local resident Sundari Shetti complained, “The house is always coated with a thick layer of ash. I have difficulty in breathing and the constant drone of Lorries transporting fly ash way into the midnight has affected my health.” Village panchayat president Sunil Raj Shetty said that no permission had been sought from the local administration before giving the ash pond the green signal. He said, “It used to be a fresh water lake - the Daddikere Lake.”[17]
Project details for expansion (Units 3 and 4)
Sponsor: Adani Power
Location: Padubidri Industrial Area, Yelluru, Santuru, Tenka & Bada villages, Udupi district, Karnataka
Coordinates: 13.1596, 74.8002[1](exact)
Status: Pre-permit development
Capacity: 1,600 MW (Units 3-4: 800 MW)
Type: Supercritical[5]
Projected in service:
Coal Type:
Coal Source: Imported via New Mangalore Port[9]
Estimated annual CO2:
Source of financing:
Permits: Terms of Reference, India MoEF, Aug 11, 2010; Terms of reference, India MoEF, Aug 13, 2015; Environmental Clearance, India MoEF, Aug 1, 2017
Articles and Resources
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lanco Udupi Coal Mega Power Plant India, Global Energy Observatory, accessed March 2012
- ↑ Lanco, "Power", Lanco website, accessed July 2011.
- ↑ "India Central Electricity Authority Monthly Report," India Central Electricity Authority, April 2011.
- ↑ "Pending Application of IPPs up to July 31, 2011," Ministry of Coal
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "J-13012/73/2010 - IA. II (T)," Ministry of Environment and Forests, August 11, 2010
- ↑ "With Udupi plant under belt, Adani Power’s installed capacity to cross 10440 MW," The Hindu, August 2014.
- ↑ Terms of reference, India MoEF, Aug 13, 2015
- ↑ Cover letter for Form 1," Adani, May 15, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Adani’s Udupi power plant to add 1600 MW by 2020," The Hindu, Sep 1, 2016
- ↑ "EIA," Adani Power, Dec 2016
- ↑ Environmental Clearance, India MoEF, Aug 1, 2017
- ↑ "Adani Power arm gets more land at NMPT for project expansion," The Hindu, June 15, 2018
- ↑ "Clearance for UPCL expansion project 'illegal': NGT," Deccan Herald, March 15, 2019
- ↑ "Amid NGT riders, Adani UPCL revives expansion bid," deccanherald.com, Aug 30, 2019
- ↑ "Adani completes Lanco’s INR 6,300-cr. Udupi power plant deal," Exim News Service, May 4, 2015
- ↑ "KRRS protests against Konkan Railway for transporting coal to UPCL," The Hindu, June 2, 2011
- ↑ Garima Goel, "Part 1: The arrogant neighbor," The Manipal Journal, March 22, 2011
Related SourceWatch articles
- Tata Power
- Tata Ultra Mega
- India and nuclear power
- U.S.- India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative
- Global use and production of coal
External Articles
- Garima Goel, "Part 1: The arrogant neighbor," The Manipal Journal, March 22, 2011
- Garima Goel, "Part 2: One step forward and two steps back," The Manipal Journal, April 4, 2011
