RPower may commission phase II of Rosa plant 3 months ahead of schedule

Reliance Power is working to bring online the 600 MW Phase II of its Rosa Power Project in Uttar Pradesh three months ahead of the targeted date of March 31, 2012.

As a result, revenues will start flowing in this fiscal itself.

All approvals are in place and coal linkage has been assured with the company getting a letter of assurance for supplies from the Central coal mines in Jharkhand, said Mr Vibhav Agarwal, Director, Reliance Power. The boiler hydro test was done February 18.

Phase I of the plant supplies 600 MW to the Uttar Pradesh Government, in accordance with the power purchase agreement inked with the State.

The unit tariff is about Rs 1.45 plus cost, which works to Rs 3.50 with fuel cost to the purchaser's account.

The UP Government has also committed to lifting 300 MW from the Phase II on commissioning of the 300X 2 MW, besides considering drawing the balance power, given the shortage in the State.

RPower's supply to the State as of April totals 377 million units or 7 per cent of the purchaser's receipt of 5,447 million units. Total capacity dedicated to the State is 10,081 MW, of which, RPower's share is 6 per cent.

The Rs 6,000-crore Rosa project, totalling 1,200 MW, is considered the largest private sector investment in Uttar Pradesh by an independent power producer.

Transmission line

RPower is also erecting a 10-km 400kV transmission line to evacuate power from Rosa II to the Central Grid (Power Grid Corporation Grid) at a cost of Rs 22 crore. This is primarily to enable flexibility in power evacuation, said Mr Agarwal.

For Rosa I, a 200kV transmission line is in place to evacuate the power generated by the 600 MW unit.

RPower sources said contrary to aspersions cast on the efficacy of Chinese equipment, the Shanghai Electric machinery at the plant has been able to maintain an average plant load factor of over 90 per cent since January.

5,000 MW by 2012

While announcing the results of FY11, Mr J.P. Chalasani, Chief Executive Officer, said the company had moved into the operating phase last fiscal and RPower's generation would be 5,000 MW by 2012.

Both the 600 MW Butibori project and the Rosa phase II (600 MW) are scheduled for commissioning in FY11-12, besides which RPower plans to commission its 2,400 MW gas-based Samalkot project by early next year.

Three sets of two turbines each are slated for commissioning between December and February.