Gidderbaha power station
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Gidderbaha power station is a cancelled power station in Ghagga, Muktsar, Punjab state, India.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Gidderbaha power station | Ghagga, Muktsar, Punjab state, India | 30.0208, 76.1025 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal - unknown | 2640 | supercritical | – | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Punjab State Power Corp Ltd (PSPCL) [100.0%] |
Financing
Source of financing: Power Finance Corporation
Background
The National Thermal Power Corporation has delayed construction for over a year because it has yet to obtain statutory clearances from the power ministry and the pollution control board, and to establish a coal linkage. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir has said the state government may elect to sign an agreement with a private company to develop the site if NTPC does not begin work soon. In early 2010, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) made an unprecedented decision to allow the National Thermal Power Corporation to sell 30% of its power to reduce power costs. PSEB has refused similar rights to other companies in the past.[1]
The Punjab government has also been careful in acquiring 2,316 acres of agricultural land from local farmers. Land acquisition in Gobindpura "led to lot of hue and cry by farmers resulting in politicisation of the issue by the opposition Congress." Farmers in Theri, Babania, and Ghagga villages who would have to sell their land at state fixed prices have started "a chain hunger strike on the roadside demanding that higher compensation be fixed for fertile land." The government has currently set pricing at Rs 25 lakhs per acre.[2]
Project cancelled
In January 2014 Projects Today reported that the project had been cancelled. The article provided this account and chronology:[3]
- The Gidderbaha thermal plant by NTPC, which was expected to come up in Gidderbaha, Muktsar district of Punjab, has been dropped, due to land acquisition hurdles. The Muktsar district administration has cancelled the procedure for land acquisition for the same. NTPC was looking forward to setting up a 2,640 MW thermal plant having four units, at Gidderbaha. On 7 October 2010, NTPC, the government of Punjab, and Powercom signed an MoU for the same. A power purchase agreement (PPA) was also signed on 22 December 2010, according to which, Unit-I of the plant was to be commissioned by 31 March, 2015. On 8 February 2010, the Punjab government issued a notification for acquiring 1,998 acre of land in the Gidderbaha subdivision under the Land Acquisition Act, as per which the sale / purchase of land in these villages had come to a halt. Later, the district administration issued a notification on 8 February 2011, under which 1,130 acre of land of 150 farmers in Theri village, 162 acre of land owned by 100 farmers in Bababniyan village and 706 acre land of 250 farmers in Ghagga village were to be acquired for the project. The relief amount, which was not announced, was to be declared within two years of the notification. Later, the state government displayed great interest in power projects from private sectors and paid no interest to the Gidderbaha project. Also, NTPC had not evinced any interest in pursuing the Gidderbaha project as the coal linkage was not allocated for the project and it had to be dropped.
Public opposition
August 2011: Farmers in Punjab start chain hunger strike against Gidderbaha power station
The Gidderbaha power station is a partially approved 2,640 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station in Ghagga village, Muktsar District, Punjab, India.[4] The National Thermal Power Corporation has delayed construction for over a year because it has yet to obtain statutory clearances from the power ministry, pollution control board, and establish a coal linkage. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir has said the state government may elect to sign an agreement with a private company to develop the site if NTPC does not begin work soon. In early 2010, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) made an unprecedented decision to allow the National Thermal Power Corporation to sell 30% of its power to reduce power costs. PSEB has refused similar rights to other companies in the past.[5]
The Punjab government has also been careful in acquiring 2,316 acres of agricultural land from local farmers. Land acquisition in Gobindpura "led to lot of hue and cry by farmers resulting in politicisation of the issue by the opposition Congress." Farmers in Theri, Babania, and Ghagga villages who would have to sell their land at state fixed prices have started "a chain hunger strike on the roadside demanding that higher compensation be fixed for fertile land." The government has currently set pricing at Rs 25 lakhs per acre.[6]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "PSEB approves sale of 30% power from Gidderbaha thermal project," The Financial Express, April 10, 2010.
- ↑ VK Gupta, "Gidderbaha thermal power project proves to be a non-starter," Punjab State Electricity Board of Engineers' Association (PSEB), August 20, 2011.
- ↑ "Gidderbaha thermal plant project dropped due to hurdles," Projects Today, January 6, 2014
- ↑ VK Gupta, "Gidderbaha thermal power project proves to be a non-starter," Punjab State Electricity Board of Engineers' Association (PSEB), August 20, 2011.
- ↑ "PSEB approves sale of 30% power from Gidderbaha thermal project," The Financial Express, April 10, 2010.
- ↑ VK Gupta, "Gidderbaha thermal power project proves to be a non-starter," Punjab State Electricity Board of Engineers' Association (PSEB), August 20, 2011.
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.
