Punjab paddy straw-based 10MW Jalkheri power plant a non-starter
Amid the spike in paddy stubble fires over the past week, the much-hyped eco-friendly alternative of the Jalkheri biomass project of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has remained a non-starter even three years since its re-tendering.
The 10-MW biomass power project, located at Jalkheri village in Fatehgarh Sahib district, can handle paddy straw of one lakh acres. The plant has been idle since September 2007.
In December 2018, the PSPCL leased it out on renovate, operate and transfer (ROT) basis for 20 years. Citing it as a major development at that time, the PSPCL said it has managed to bring M/s Sukhbir Energy Private Limited for this work in reverse tendering of tariff at ₹5.84 a unit. But the private company didn’t do anything to restart the plant.
