Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant
First unit to begin generation by Diwali
Raman Mohan
Tribune News Service

Hisar, August 20
There is good news for power consumers in Haryana.The state is likely to add 600 mw to its generation capacity on Diwali.

The first unit of the Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant under construction at Khedar village near here is likely to start generation on the festival although as per the contract’s terms this task was to be completed latest by December 28.

V. P. Arora, Chief Engineer, Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited, said work on the project was going on a war- footing and the commissioning of the first unit could be as early as October. Arora said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would visit the plant on August 22 to take stock of the progress.Work on the plant was started after the Hooda government came to power in 2005. The erection of the plant has been entrusted to Reliance.

According to Arora, the second unit of the plant is likely to be commissioned by March next year. With the commissioning of the second unit, another 600 mw will be added to the state’s own generation capacity providing much relief to the power scarce state.

The plant was rocked by a mishap last week when six workers, including two Chinese nationals, were killed when a steel plate came off a crane during the erection of a chimney. The Chinese nationals were employees of a Chinese company to which Reliance has outsourced the work.

Arora said the accident though unfortunate was unlikely to affect the progress of work. A team appointed by Reliance has already reached the plant to probe the mishap.

Reliance will transfer the project to the HPGCL after the completion of the work.