Centre approves three 800-MW power generation units for Punjab

Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has approved three additional 800-MW power generation units for the state. Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said this after attending a conference of power ministers from North India, which was organised by the Union Ministry of Power.

Power ministers and officials from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Delhi took part in the conference chaired by Khattar.

During the conference, the Punjab minister demanded an increase in the existing power generation capacity of the Ropar thermal power plant. He said while the state had its own coal mines, the Centre’s condition to not transport coal beyond 1,000 kms was creating difficulties in expanding the capacity of thermal plants.

Accepting the demand, the Union Power Minister instructed officials to extend the coal transportation limit to more than 1,500 kms and approved the establishment of two additional 800-MW power generation units at the Ropar plant. An approval was also granted for setting up a new 800-MW unit in Punjab. With this, the path has been cleared for setting up 2,400-MW thermal plants in the state.

Regarding the Union Government’s target to generate 7,000 MW of solar power in the state, the Cabinet Minister said achieving the target was a challenging task considering the high cost of land. However, the state government was making efforts to set up solar energy projects in the neighbouring states from where power would be supplied to Punjab.

The minister sought prompt fulfillment of the 1,000-MW additional power demand raised before the Centre in view of the paddy season. Currently, Punjab is receiving 275 MW power from the Central pool.