New power projects to begin generation in 2012
SP Sharma
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 24
The three new super-critical private sector thermal power plants with a total installed capacity of 3920 MW coming up in various places in Punjab would begin generating electricity next year with the first unit of the Talwandi Sabo project of the Vedanta likely to be commissioned in November 2012.

According to GS Chhabra, Director (generation) of Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL), the second and third unit of the 1980 MW Talwandi Sabo project in Mansa district were slated to be commissioned in February and May 2013, respectively.

A meeting of the coordination committee would be held tomorrow to review work on the projects.

Chhabra said the first unit of the 540 MW Goindwal Sahib thermal power project being constructed by the GVK group would be commissioned in January 2013 and the second in April 2013.

The 1400 MW Rajpura Thermal Plant being built by the L&T group would be commissioned in 2014 with its first unit would go functional in January and the second in May.

He said there was no further progress in the Kot-Shamir thermal power project since the memorandum of understanding (MoU) had been signed. About 1,200 acres of land was proposed to be acquired for the project.

Meanwhile, the Poena Power Development Ltd (PPDL) of the Indiabulls, which has been assigned construction of the controversial thermal power plant of a capacity of 1320 MW at Gobindpura, broke its silence today with its spokesman claiming that the land for the project had been acquired with the consent of the farmers who were paid compensation several times more than the prevailing rate of Rs 5 lakh per acre.

The spokesman claimed that owners of 97 acres of land had refused to accept the compensation. “At least 90 percent farmers have voluntarily accepted the compensation and most have purchased alternative land in nearby areas”, the spokesman claimed.

A total of 880 acres of land has been acquired for the thermal power plant, triggering an agitation that has now spread in all three regions of Punjab.

“The company believes in producing an overall positive impact on the local society and the state of Punjab at large through the upcoming power plant”, the spokesman said.

Talwandi Sabo project of Vedanta likely to be commissioned in November 2012
The second and third units of the 1980 MW Talwandi Sabo project in Mansa slated to be commissioned in February and May 2013, respectively.
A meeting of the coordination committee to be held on Thursday to review work on the projects
The first unit of the 540 MW Goindwal Sahib thermal power project by the GVK group to be commissioned in January 2013 and the second in April 2013
The 1,400 MW Rajpura Thermal Plant by L&T to be commissioned in 2014 with its first unit going functional in January and the second in May