Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged the Centre to take steps for early execution of the Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS) Stage-III project and address the concern related to the closure of the state’s first thermal power generation project. Patnaik in a letter to Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh urged him to intervene and direct NTPC Ltd to address the concerns.
” ..I draw your immediate attention and request you to direct NTPC to address the concerns related to closure of TTPS and take steps for the early execution of TTPS Stage-III project. I assure you all support from the state government in this regard,” Patnaik wrote in the letter on March 22.
TTPS is one of the oldest thermal power stations set up by the Odisha government, Patnaik said, adding that the project was set up by the Odisha government, Stage-I (240 MW) and commissioned in 1968, the Stage-II (220 MW) in 1982.
However, the NTPC acquired it in 1995.
“In 2010, NTPC proposed to expand the capacity of the station and install 2 units of 660 MW each. The state- designated agency, GRIDCO Ltd, promptly signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NTPC in December 2010 for 660 MW. The expansion project also got the approval of the state government in February 2020. However, NTPC is yet to start the execution,” he said.
Patnaik said the closure of TTPS from March 31, 2021, will have a severe direct and indirect impact on thousands of families and the local economy.
Meanwhile, all the six units of TTPS-NTPC are closed since Tuesday night and the power generation has come down to a grinding halt, official sources said.
Earlier the plant had a generation of 87 per cent plant load factor (PLF) from its 460 MW installed capacity, they said.
The plants were closed in view of an instruction of the Central Pollution Control Board to close the plant by March 31, 2021, they said.
Police and CISF personnel are deployed at the main gate of the plant apprehending law and order situation, said D N Tiwari, Group General Manager of the plant.
Mahesh Sahoo, Local MP from Dhenkanal, has warned NTPC that it would face its consequences and no coal would be allowed to go to its 3,000 MW Kaniha Super Thermal Power plant if the TTPS plants were not operated soon.
Due to the closure of the plant around 5,000 people both permanent and temporary workers, would be out of employment, Sahoo claimed.
