Pudimadaka Ultra Mega Power Project

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Pudimadaka Ultra Mega Power Project is a cancelled power station in Pudimadaka, Achutapuram, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Pudimadaka Ultra Mega Power Project Pudimadaka, Achutapuram, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India 17.492713, 83.002767 (approximate)

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

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Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 cancelled coal - unknown 800 supercritical
Unit 2 cancelled coal - unknown 800 supercritical
Unit 3 cancelled coal - unknown 800 supercritical
Unit 4 cancelled coal - unknown 800 supercritical
Unit 5 cancelled coal - unknown 800 supercritical

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
Unit 1 NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit 2 NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit 3 NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit 4 NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit 5 NTPC Ltd [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

  • Coal source(s): imported
  • Permit(s): Terms of Reference: 2015-02-25

Financing

Source of financing:

Background

NTPC and the government of Andhra Pradesh signed a draft power purchase agreement for this project in early 2011, but subsequently the company made no progress on land acquisition.[1]

In January 2014 project sponsor NTPC said it was planning on fast-tracking the project. The project was initially to use domestic coal, but facing difficulty in securing a coal linkage, it may use imported coal. NTPC is awaiting land clearance from the state government, and will then seek the necessary permits, after which it will take an estimated 42 months to implement the five 800 MW units.[2]

In September 2014, The Hindu reported that NTPC will receive fast-track status for the project. 1200 acres were reported to have been allotted the project. According to the report, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has instructed officials to accord all clearances without delay. The next step in the process will be land acquisition, followed by geotechnical investigation, topography, and environmental assessment studies, and then public hearings.[1]

A terms of reference was issued for the project in February 2015.[3] A public hearing on the plant was held in August 2015. An estimated one thousand local people attended, many of them opposing the plant based on its pollution effects.[4]

In March 2016 the India government said it planned to bid out three ultra mega power projects that year: Cheyyur in Tamil Nadu, Bedabahal in Odisha and Banka in Bihar. Pudimadaka was not included.[5]

NTPC continues to pursue the project, and will consider a government request to have it fueled by domestic rather than imported coal.[6] In November 2016 it was reported that long-term coal linkage was delayed, "and there was no progress in the project except acquiring 1,200 acres from the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation."[7]

In May 2017 it was reported the Union Cabinet gave the thumbs-up to a new coal linkage policy, the first step in NTPC being allotted a coal block at Ranigunj Coalfields for the plant. “Now we will wait for the detailed policy to decide what to do next,” a senior NTPC official told The Hindu. According to the Hindu: "The glut in the power sector may also force the NTPC not to take up the project immediately even if it is sanctioned fuel linkage." The project has not progressed beyond acquiring 1,200 acres for the plant two years ago.[8]

In March 2018 it was reported the BJP government had taken a decision to minimize coal imports as the domestic coal reserves are adequate, and that in response the Ministry of Defense had refused permission for construction of a captive port for the Pudimadaka UMPP to import coal. Instead, the Ministry of Coal has been requested a Long Term Coal Linkage and allocation of a Captive Coal Block with high grade coal to meet the coal requirements of the proposed Pudimadaka Project.[9]

In June 2018 NTPC said it had decided not to move forward with the plant, as the project was deemed "unviable".[10]

Articles and Resources

References

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.