Hyderabad: In a significant decision, the Union ministry for environment and forests has accorded environmental clearances to the Bhadradri Thermal Power plant.
The clearances had been pending for 10 months following a stay order issued by the National Green Tribunal on the plant being constructed by Telangana State Power Generation Corporation.
TSGenco chairman and managing director Devulapally Prabhakara Rao on Saturday said that in view of the clearances, Genco was hopeful of completing the project by March 2018.
The Rs 7,290 crore project with four 260 MW units, totalling 1,080 MW, is being constructed at Manuguru near Bhadrachalam of Kottagudem district. The NGT had ordered a stay on the work on a petition challenging the government's decision to take up the project with subcritical technology instead of supercritical technology that is the policy of the Union government.
However, after the TS government filed a review petition, the NGT lifted the stay and asked the MoEF to look into the TS government’s representation and take a decision. On Saturday, TSGenco received information that the ministry had cleared the project and necessary orders will be issued in the next few days.
“Since we have completed land acquisition process and the machinery has been moved to the site at Manuguru, we will have no problem in completing the project by March 2018, despite the stay ordered by the NGT for 10 months,” Mr Prabhakara Rao said.
Earlier, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had written to the Union power and environmental ministers and sought exemption from the condition that only supercritical technology thermal power projects would be allowed for the project in the 13th Five-Year plan period. The government said work on the plant had begun as part of the 12th Five Year plan.
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao also mentioned that nearly 98 per cent of the existing thermal power plants with an installed capacity 1.55 lakh MW were built with the subcritical technology.
The CM had pointed out that another 36 thermal power projects were under construction, including a 600 MW unit of the Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station in AP, using subcritical technology.
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao also conveyed to the Centre that '1,020 crore had already been spent on the project and government had commission BHEL, a Central public sector unit, as the contractor for the Bhadradri project.
