The Deccan Chronicle 28.09.2010
Exclusive power plant for Hyderabad soonHyderabad, Sept. 27: A long pending proposal to construct a power project exclusively for Hyderabad city will soon be a reality. The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, has agreed to revive the Sankarapalli power project which was kept in cold storage for years. The plant will use gas which will require much less land compared to a thermal power station.
The project after completion will reduce transmission losses drastically.
The capacity of the gas-based, state-run power project will be in the region of 800 to 1,000 mw. “The capacity will be decided at a later stage based on land requirement and water availability,” said Mr Vijayanand, the MD of APGenco.
During Mr Chandrababu Naidu’s tenure, a 1,400-mw power plant had been planned at Sankarapalli, but the proposal was shelved due to shortage of gas.
Even after the start of Reliance gas, Sankarapalli did not get the green signal as there was no pipeline to supply the gas to the plant.
Recently, the Central Electricity Authority and the ministry of power have reviewed new projects in the country and laid down certain guidelines for gas allocation.
Projects proposed near high load areas, such as metro cities, are given top priority in the new policy, which is how the Sankarapalli plant came up for consideration as it is meant to service Hyderabad City.
Instead of giving it to a private developer, the energy department felt that the state-owned APGenco should be given a chance to construct the power station.
“We had acquired 225 acres of land long ago. From that we have alienated some part of the land for construction of sub-stations. Now we have 170 acres of land in our possession,” said Mr Vijayanad.
Advances in technology in gas-based power projects have allowed developers to set up plants on smaller areas. The Hinduja thermal project with 1,040 mw capacity near Visakhapatnam occupies 1,000 acres, whereas the gas-based project at Sankarapalli is proposed on less than 200 acres.
The Pranahita Chevella lift irrigation project will supply water to the project. At present Hyderabad, along with surrounding municipalities, consumes about 2,500 mw of power and the consumption is expected to cross 3,000 mw in the next two years.
