NTPC is India's largest power-generating company with its current output being 32,500 MW. "The delay in the Barh power project in Bihar will affect our plans to raise our capacity to 40,000 MW by 2012," NTPC's CMD Arup Roy Choudhury said here on Monday. Choudhury, during his maiden visit to Bihar after assuming his new assignment, said the corporation has a projection to raise the generating capacity to 40,000 MW in the 11th plan. Both phase-I and II of the Barh project, with a capacity to generate 3300 MW, is likely to be commissioned in 2013-14, he told reporters here before leaving for an on-the-spot assessment of the Barh project progress and the Kahalgaon power plants.
Earlier in the day, the NTPC CMD had a meeting with chief secretary Anup Mukherjee regarding setting up of new greenfield high capacity thermal power projects in the state.
The state government is contemplating new thermal power stations for which NTPC is willing to cooperate. The state government is learned to have discussed the availability of adequate land and water at Kajra in Lakhisarai and Pirpainty in Bhagalpur district for setting up new plants.
As for the Barh project, CBI is investigating alleged pay-offs made by Russia's Technoprom Exports (TPE) for getting a contract to supply boilers to the Barh project. The Rs 8,700-crore project started in 1999. The Russian firm won a contract in February 2005.
However, work on the project came to a halt after a contractual dispute between NTPC and Technoprom, with the latter demanding more money due to rise in prices of steel.
"Forget about the past. You (read journalists) visit the Barh plant after two months and see the progress," a confident Choudhury told newsmen.
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