Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday met Union energy minister Piyush Goyal and sought clearance for the Bhadradri Thermal Power Plant. The Central Electricity Authority and the environmental ministry have refused to clear the project on the grounds that it was not being constructed with critical technology in line with the Centre’s policy.
The Chief Minister along with state energy minister G. Jagadishwar Reddy, Transco and Genco chairman-cum-managing director Devulapally Prabhakara Rao and TRS MPs met Mr Goyal and explained the reasons for taking up the Bhadradri plant with sub-critical technology.
Mr Rao explained that in view of the precarious power crisis at the time of formation of Telangana state, the state government had opted for sub-critical technology in order to build power plants quickly.
He told the minister that BHEL had came forward to build the plant with the sub-critical technology. There was no other intention behind using this technology, Mr Rao told Mr Goyal. He said that the government had entrusted the work the state-owned Genco and not to private companies.
The Chief Minister also explained that so far the state government had spent about Rs 1,000 crore on the plant and for land acquisition. He also pointed out that 36 thermal plants were under construction using sub-critical technology.
Mr Rao requested Mr Goyal to exempt the Bhadradri plant from the policy and allow its construction so that the state could utilise 1080 mega watt power for its needs by 2018. Mr Goyal assured the Chief Minister that he would positively consider the request.
