City to get relief from outages

Bawana power plant to increase its production from 200 MW to 600 MW

Bawana power plant to increase its production from 200 MW to 600 MW

Here is some good news for Delhi residents facing power shortage for the last few days. The city can look forward to an additional supply of 400 MW of power within the next two weeks.


Power-packed: Delhi's power minister Haroon Yusuf (centre) at Bawana
power plant in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pic/MiD DAY

The Capital has been acutely power-starved in the recent past due to heavy load shedding. Reportedly, the Bawana power plant will soon increase its production from current 200 MW. The plant, built at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore, was commissioned on trial basis on last Thursday, and since then it has been producing around 200 MW of power on a daily basis, providing much relief from outages.

"The generation will go up to 600 MW within the next two weeks. The plant is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," said Delhi's power minister Haroon Yusuf, who visited the plant on Tuesday. According to power department officials, by the end of next month, power generation at the plant will touch 750 MW. The power minister also said by June 2012, the plant will generate 1,500 MW of power, which is the optimum level of generation targeted for the plant.

The fate of the plant had landed in uncertainty after Reliance Industries Ltd refused to supply gas from its KG-D6 gas fields in Andhra offshore following delay in its commissioning. Following the refusal, Delhi government had approached the prime minister's office, seeking intervention in getting gas for the plant.

Earlier this month, the oil ministry allocated natural gas for the plant. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will supply 1.564 mmscmd (million metric standard cubic metres per day) gas to the 1,500 MW capacity plant from western offshore fields and the fuel will be priced at USD 5.25 per million British thermal units.

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