Govt planning 3 more supercritical thermal units: Energy Minister

Haryana’s Energy Minister Anil Vij said that an 800 MW supercritical thermal unit would be established in Yamunanagar.

He said that the government was planning to set up a similar plant in Khedar and two in Panipat. These thermal units would boost power generation and reduce dependence on external power sources.

He was today interacting with mediapersons after inspecting the preparations for the proposed visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Yamunanagar.

Before the inspection, Vij held a meeting with officers at the venue and gave necessary directions regarding the arrangements.

During the inspection, Vij said that the Prime Minister would visit Yamunanagar on April 14 to lay the foundation stone of the third 800 MW unit of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant.

He said that this would enhance the state's electricity generation capacity and provide significant benefits.

In response to a question about electricity prices, Vij said there had been no increase in tariffs for consumers using up to 300 units.

He said that since 2014, price hikes had been 72 per cent lower compared to earlier trends, with only a 15-20 paise increase, which was not significant.

When asked about the increase in petrol and diesel prices, he clarified that the burden of this hike would not be passed on to the public.

Regarding the strike by Haryana Roadways employees, Vij said, “I regularly listen to the concerns of employees in all departments under me and help them as much as possible. No such issue has been brought to my notice by roadways employees.”

He said that he reviewed all the arrangements made by the officials and ensured that every detail was being handled with care.

Later, the Energy Minister, along with senior officers and engineers, inspected the existing thermal power plant in Yamunanagar and gathered information about the technology being used.

Present on the occasion were Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Apoorva Kumar Singh, Ambala Range IG Sibash Kaviraj, Power Generation Corporation MD Ashok Meena, BJP district president Rajesh Sapra, Deputy Commissioner Parth Gupta, SP Rajeev Deswal and Additional SP Srishti Gupta.