500 MW Durgapur unit stranded with no coal
Vinod Kumar Gupta, 09-Feb-2012

Thursday February 9, 2012

New Delhi

500 MW Durgapur steel plant thermal plant unit has been stranded for last six months with no coal . Damodar Valley Corporation is suffering generation loss of 120 lakh units daily as the coal supply is yet to start for 500 MW unit commissioned last year.

It may be mentioned that Punjab has a share in DVC’s Durgapur steel plant thermal project. DVC had been requesting Punjab to intimate power drawl schedule though the plant has not yet started commercial generation.

DVC’s unit was delayed from their original schedule and commissioned six months back but Coal India has not yet commenced coal supply. This is the fate of central sector projects under DVC. The Power Ministry has not been able to arrange coal for its own projects.

1000 MW thermal plant was started in August 2007 with estimated cost of Rs. 4457 crore and the project was awarded to BHEL on turnkey basis. As per CEA broadsheet data the first 500 MW unit was synchronized on July 12 last year and achieved full load on July 29.The unit is capable of generating 120 lakh units daily. The synchronisation and commissioning of second 500 MW units is expected in the current financial year. The original commissioning schedules of units were July 2010 and January 2011.

As per CEA daily reports the coal supply to even unit 1 has not been started though the unit achieved full load six months back.