Naveen Pataik-led Orissa government on Thursday announced that it would set up a 2000-mw thermal plant in the state. The project will be developed by Orissa Thermal Power Corp (OTPC), which is a joint venture between state-owned Orissa Hydro Power Corp (OHPC) and Orissa Mining Corp (OMC).
“The project will come up at an investment of Rs 8000 crore at Rengali in Dhenkanal district,” state energy minister SN Patro said on Thursday. According to Patro, the coal block allotted to OMC will be linked to the project.
The government’s first thermal power project, Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS), was sold to NTPC in the 1990s. The second plant, Ib Valley Thermal Power Station (ITPS), in Jharsuguda district, came up in the 1980s.
However, the government diluted its stake by 49% in favour of US power utility AES Corp and handed over management control in the 1990s. The 420-mw project is not ready for expansion.