980 MW Stage-II of National Capital Thermal Power Project, Dadri starts to function, will power Common Wealth Games 2010

Sonia Gandhi has congratulated NTPC for completing Stage-II of the ‘National Capital Thermal Power Project, Dadri’ well before the beginning of the Commonwealth Games 2010. Dedicating to the nation the 980 MW (2×490 MW) Stage- II of the Project – which is specifically meant to meet the power requirements of the Commonwealth Games – here today Smt. Gandhi, Chairperson, U.P.A. said that it is a matter of great pride that the work of this Stage was completed in a record time of only 39 months. Emphasizing the importance of electricity in the fast development and progress of a nation, Smt. Gandhi said that we need to tap various sources for producing electricity. But she also said that such production should not be at the cost of environment and as such the power production should be ‘clean’. In this context, the U.P.A. Chairperson said that though land acquisition is necessary for developmental projects but it should not involve large tracts of agricultural lands; as that would compromise food production, and the entire process should also be such that it doesn’t adversely affect the farmers and other people.Stage-I of the ‘National Capital Thermal Power Project, Dadri’ was already producing 840 MW (through 4 Units, each of 210 MW capacity) and now with the dedication of this 980 MW (through 2 Units, each of 490 MW capacity) Stage-II, the ‘National Capital Thermal Power Project, Dadri’ has achieved a total capacity of 2637 MW as its Gas Based Station is producing 817 MW.

Presiding over the function Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Union Minister of Power, said that with the objective of providing adequate and reliable power to all, his Ministry has set a challenging target of adding more than 62,000 MW during the 11th Plan which is three times higher than the capacity added during the 10th Plan. Shri Shinde said that 9,585 MW of capacity was added during 2009-10, which is the highest ever capacity addition achieved in a single year during the last sixty years and expressed confidence that during 2010-11 his Ministry will again add much higher capacity. Shri Bharatsinh Solanki, Minister of State for Power, and Shri P. Uma Shankar, Secretary in the Ministry of Power were also present on the occasion.