CEA reworks land requirement for TPPs: Recommendations for domestic-coal based pit-head stations

Land acquisition has always been the Achilles' heel of many a power project in India. Taking cognizance of this fact, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has come out with fresh guidelines recommending lower land requirements for different categories of TPPs. The agency has issued these norms as a revision to its December 2007 recommendations. A comparison of total land area stipulated now for different unit configurations of pit-head TPPs using indigenous coal and that recommended earlier has been given below:

•  For 2x500 MW units (in acres)
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   Now: 1,090; Previously: 1,420; Difference: 330 (23%).
• For 3x660 MW units (in acres)
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   Now: 1,520; Previously: 2,050; Difference: 530 (26%).
• For 5x660 MW units (in acres)
•  Now: 2,145; Previously: 2,860; Difference: 715 (25%).
• For 6x660 MW units (in acres)
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   Now: 2,420; Previously: 3,280; Difference: 860 (26%).
• For 4x800 MW units (in acres)
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   Now: 2,140; Previously: 2,450; Difference: 310 (13%).
• For 5x800 MW units (in acres)
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  Now: 2,440; Previously: 2,770; Difference: 330 (12%).