HARYANA-Power-generation capacity to ‘go up’ by 2,070 MW
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service

Rohtak, November 19
Power generation in the state is poised to take a massive jump of another 2,070 MW in six months as the commissioning of two new plants in Jhajjar district is nearing.

The total power generation in the state will then be around 5,500 MW and will ensure at least 20 to 22 hours’ supply across the state.

Stating this, the Rohtak MP, Deepender Singh Hooda, said in a statement here today that the commissioning of the two new thermal plants in Jhajjar district in the next few months would ensure better power supply in the state and claimed that it would be for the first time that power generation capacity of more than the available capacity would be added in the state in a short span of just seven years as compared to a period of about 40 years of the state’s inception. The new projects include the 1,500 MW coal-based super thermal power project being set up in Jhajjar.

The project is being executed by the NTPC from concept to commissioning and subsequent operation and maintenance in a joint venture with Haryana and Delhi governments. As the MOU was signed between the NTPC, Government of National Capital Territory (NCT), Delhi, and Government of Haryana on August 24, 2006, the commissioning schedule of the three units under this project was 35, 38 and 41 months.

This plant will make available a supply of 750 MW to Haryana. The second project that is likely to commission is the 1,320 MW Mahatama Gandhi Thermal Power Project, also in the same district, and it was constructed by China Light Power Company. It was likely to be synchronised by the end of December this year.

The other projects in the pipeline include 1,500 MW gas-based project at Faridabad, 2,800 MW (4x700 MW) nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district.

The state had initiated reforms in its power sector in 1997. Pursuant to these reforms, the state electricity board was unbundled and reorganised in 1998. State-owned utilities were established to perform the functions of generation, transmission and distribution of power independently.

Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited was incorporated as a company and was given the responsibility of operating and maintaining the generation projects and setting up of new generating stations in order to keep pace with the increasing demand of power.