NTPC to put up its 4000 MW project in Chattarpur, MP

NTPC has finally decided to set up its proposed 4000 MW super thermal power station (STPS) in the district of Chattarpur, in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh instead of the earlier option of Uttar Pradesh. Notably, the Bundelkhand region spans both the neighboring states. The Government of Uttar Pradesh's (GoUP) unreasonable demand for entire allocation of the power from the project to it, on the ground that UP is a highly populated and severely power-crunched state, is believed to be a major reason for this relocation. Added to that, bureaucratic hurdles posed in obtaining clearances for land and water in the state of UP had forced NTPC to look for alternatives outside the state. As per the current norms, host states are allotted only up to 50% of the power generated from the central sector power generation units within their respective boundaries.

Meanwhile, to grab the opportunity for hosting the mega project, the Madhya Pradesh government has already provided NTPC with its in-principle approval for land and water for the proposed project. Pertinently, NTPC was also considering Barethi in the Mahiyar district of MP to set-up the project and had dropped the idea of a site near Bamitha, in the Chhatarpur district of MP, due its proximity to the Panna wildlife sanctuary. The cost of the project is estimated to be 24,000 crore