MCL's 1600 MW pithead thermal power project to seek board nod

Kolkata: The first 1600 MW pithead thermal power project by Coal India Ltd subsidiary Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd is expected to be ratified at the next board meeting.

"The board may take up the matter in the next meeting on September 17. Once it is cleared, it would reach the Coal India board for approval," MCL chairman and managing director A N Sahay said at the Mining, Geological and Metallurgical Institute of India seminar. Located in the Sundergarh district of Odisha, it is the maiden pithead thermal power project of CIL involving an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore.

Sahay said the project has seen significant delay on account of issues regarding land acquisition, environment and forest clearance. He said around 800 acres has already been acquired and water linkages are in place. The plant would utilise coal from MCL's Basundhara coal mines.

"Once the CIL board gives its nod and clearances are received, it would take another three years for the power plant to come into operation," he said. However, the end use of the power generated from the two 800 mw units ? captive consumption or merchant power is still to be determined by Coal India board, Sahay said. Meanwhile, MCL has set a target of 127 mt of coal production in 2014-15, a growth of 15 per cent over the previous fiscal. MCL has produced 36.28 mt of coal in the period from April-July 2014, surpassing the target of 36.10 mt. "We are on track so far to meet the target for the year," said Sahay.