NTPC-Railways' Nabinagar TPP set to go on stream ahead-of-schedule

Unlike most of the public sector thermal power ventures, that are marooned by recurrent delays in execution, the 4x250 MW Nabinagar thermal power project (TPP), being executed jointly by the State-owned NTPC and the Indian Railways, is likely to be commercially operational by December 2011, well ahead of the original schedule of April 2012. As per the latest estimate, the TPP is expected to be synchronized by September 2011 vis-a-vis the original schedule of December 2011. However, the ahead-of-schedule completion of this project will depend largely on the timely acquisition of balance 258 acres of land. Out of the total land requirement of 1,517 acres for the project, Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Company Limited (BRBCL), the joint venture company (JVC) for the execution of the project, has been able to acquire about 1,259 acres, including 1,100 acres of private land areas and 159 acres of Government land.

NTPC and Railways signed the JV pact for setting up Nabinagar plant in November 2007 through equity contribution of 74 % and 26 %, respectively. Around 90% of the electricity to be generated from this plant is due to be utilized by Indian Railways for running electric trains in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in the eastern and western regions of the country, while the remaining quantum of power is earmarked for other users. Domestic equipment supplier, BHEL, won the Rs 2,030 crore main plant package for the 1,000 MW Nabinagar TPP in January 2008. The project, being developed in the Aurangabad district of Bihar, envisages an expense of Rs 5,352 crore.