Chhabra Thermal Power Station

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Chhabra Thermal Power Station is an operating power station of at least 2320-megawatts (MW) in Chowki-Motipura, Chhabra, Baran, Rajasthan, India with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Chhabra Thermal Power Station Chowki-Motipura, Chhabra, Baran, Rajasthan, India 24.63433, 77.0385039 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8: 24.63433, 77.0385039
  • Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 24.62092, 77.035439

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 operating coal - subbituminous 250 subcritical 2009
Unit 2 operating coal - subbituminous 250 subcritical 2010
Unit 3 operating coal - subbituminous 250 subcritical 2013
Unit 4 operating coal - subbituminous 250 subcritical 2014
Unit 5 operating coal - subbituminous 660 supercritical 2017
Unit 6 operating coal - subbituminous 660 supercritical 2018
Unit 7 pre-permit coal - subbituminous 660 ultra-supercritical
Unit 8 pre-permit coal - subbituminous 660 ultra-supercritical

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
Unit 1 Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUN) [100.0%]
Unit 2 Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUN) [100.0%]
Unit 3 Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUN) [100.0%]
Unit 4 Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUN) [100.0%]
Unit 5 Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUN) [100.0%]
Unit 6 Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUN) [100.0%]
Unit 7 Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUN) [100.0%]
Unit 8 Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUN) [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

  • Permit(s): Terms of Reference: 2023-07-17, May 23, 2012 – Environmental Clearance, Terms of Reference: 2023-07-17[1]

Background

The power station is owned and operated by Rajasthan RV Utpadan Nigam (RVUN or RRVUN), a government-owned utility. It began as a 500 MW power station, commissioned in 2009-2010. The power station was later expanded by two 250 MW units (Units 3&4).[2] Unit 3 was commissioned in 2013 and unit 4 in 2014.[3]

First Expansion (Stage II)

Two more 660 MW units (Units 5 and 6) were proposed in the 12th Plan (2012-17).[4]

The project received environmental clearance in 2012.[5]

In March 2015, units 5 and 6 were under construction.[6]

According to RVUN, unit 5 was planned for commissioning in December 2016 and unit 6 in June 2018.[7][8]

Unit 5 was synchronized in October 2016 and commissioned in April 2017.[9][10] Unit 6 was commissioned in December 2018 and began commercial operation in March 2019.[11][12]

Second Expansion Proposed

In July 2022, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved RRVUN's proposals for setting up two units of thermal power projects with 660 MW and 800 MW capacity based on ultra-supercritical technology at Chhabra and Kalisindh respectively. The two Chhabra units were expected to be set up at a cost of Rs 9,606.06 crore. “The move will help the state become self-reliant in power generation and also increase employment opportunities and local area development,” read an official statement.[13]

The expansion was submitted to MOEF for Terms of Reference in January 2023. The submission noted that construction was projected to start in November 2023 for completion in 2027.[14] The minutes of EAC committee held in February 2023 discussed the proposal to obtain Terms of Reference but deferred the proposal till submission of additional information, such as the plan for ash utilization, revised layout for the green belt, monitoring of air quality performed by a third party and a report on air emissions from SPCB.[15]

On June 1, 2023, the EAC recommended the expansion receive Terms of Reference.[16]

The TOR document was dated July 17, 2023.[17]

Opposition and environmental concerns

After the expansion's ToR was granted, local residents and farmers voiced concerns and criticism of the existing plant's failure to responsibly manage its fly ash waste and other polluting emissions.[18] Community members claimed that irresponsible management of the power station's fly ash frequently ended up in the local potable water supply, and activists asserted that the new units would "only exacerbate the challenges the region faces."[18]

Ownership

In 2017 NTPC signed a non-binding MoU with the Rajasthan government to take over the Chhabra thermal power plant. While the total cost of the plant is estimated to around Rs 150 billion, NTPC was supposed to pay around Rs 50 billion for 1000 MW. The deal however is stuck for political reasons. A non-binding MoU allows the parties to modify the terms later.[19]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125072019/https://environmentclearance.nic.in/DownloadPfdFile.aspx?FileName=fIdgX39yTwRZsiWeuPYes1rcEGIpAeroYO3MU7ouTP7wh3uNdgHveY0o4pfn3ySucSqgiDxzCh8JaG22i+zCpt2BlCtLe4xS5Hk7fGQMnbjiZG2QvAfl18MstGukSDTdS2RSPDbZ3PwNEzaaN6cnwsNZD9vUQNY5BHuRfsFT/eE=&FilePath=93ZZBm8LWEXfg+HAlQix2fE2t8z/pgnoBhDlYdZCxzUI4D0y0DyH4SbeEYqwvEmbw63j4fms9Murl/YnHqFqoQ==. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "Chhaba Thermal Power Station", Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited, accessed March 2012.
  3. Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country, Central Electricity Authority, June 2014
  4. "Chhabra TTP Unit 5 & 6", Rajasthan RV Utpadan Nigam website, accessed March 2012.
  5. Environmental Clearance, India MoEF, May 23, 2012
  6. "MHPS in control systems deal for India supercritical coal plant," PEI, 20/03/2015
  7. "Chhaba Thermal Power Station", Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited, accessed September 8, 2015
  8. "Ongoing Projects," RRVUN website, accessed September 8, 2015
  9. "Broad Status Report," India Central Electrical Authority, March 2017
  10. "Broad Status Report," India Central Electrical Authority, April 2017
  11. "Executive Summary of the power sector," India CEA, March 2019
  12. "Broad Status Report," India Central Electrical Authority, March 2019
  13. "Rajasthan: CM Ashok Gehlot approves two thermal power projects," Times of India, July 19, 2022
  14. "2x660 MW Expansion Thermal Power Project, U#7&8 Chhabra TPS," Submission IA/RJ/THE/404292/2022
  15. "MINUTES OF THE 37TH MEETING OF THE RE-CONSTITUTED EXPERT APPRAISAL COMMITTEE (EAC) ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)" (PDF). environmentclearance.nic.in. February 2023. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 67 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. “Minutes of the 42nd Meeting of the Re-Constituted Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Thermal Power Projects,” MoEF, June 1, 2023
  17. "Expansion TOR," MoEF, July 17, 2023
  18. 18.0 18.1 Chhabra plant expansion faces activists’ criticism Times of India, Aug. 15, 2023
  19. Shreya Jai, "NTPC takes equity stake in two Bihar state power projects for Rs 21 billion: MoU with Rajasthan for Chhabra power plant stuck as elections loom," Business Standard, June 30, 2018

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.