Raigarh project (VISA Power)
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Raigarh project (VISA Power) is a cancelled power station in Deveri and Dumarpali, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, India.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Raigarh project (VISA Power) | Deveri and Dumarpali, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, India | 21.919374, 83.279114 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 21.919374, 83.279114
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal - subbituminous | 600 | subcritical | – | – |
| Unit 2 | cancelled | coal - subbituminous | 600 | supercritical | – | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | VISA Power Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | VISA Power Ltd [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Indonesia
- Permit(s): August 23, 2011 – Environmental Clearance
Financing
Source of financing:
Background
On its website in 2011, VISA Power stated that it had "inked an MOU with the Government of Chhattisgarh in 2007 for setting up of a 1,200 MW Coal based Independent Power Plant." The company planned for the project to be commissioned in 2013.[1]
The project received environmental clearance in 2011. A September 2014 environmental status report listed the project as under construction.[2]
In November 2015, the India government projected unit 1 was expected to be commissioned in 2017. It offered no date for unit 2.[3] In March 2016 and July 2016, it said the commissioning date for both units was "uncertain."[4][5]
Construction delay
Although construction of Unit 1 began in 2011, as of late 2016 work was not completed and was "on hold due to financial crunch," according to the Broad Status Report.[6]
According to the Economic Times, "The [Raigarh] project was allotted 99.12 million tonne (mt) of coal from the Fatehpur East coal block in Chhattisgarh. However, the project ran into rough weather due to cancellation of the coal block, the main resource based on which the thermal power project was conceived. Although the company management tried to arrange coal supplies from overseas, it failed to come up with a fruitful option. Without access to a key input like coal, the project became unviable." In January 2018, Visa Power entered into insolvency proceedings.[7]
The project did not appear in the November 2017 Broad Status of coal plants under construction, compiled by the India Ministry of Power.[8] It appears to be cancelled.
Liquidation process
In 2018, a consortium of 11 lenders were claiming to recover about Rs 1,900 crore from the bankrupt Visa Power after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted the firm for insolvency proceedings.[9]
BHEL and L&T were among contractors seeking dues from Visa Power's insolvency. However, the team handling the resolution of Visa Power expressed concern that the sale of the company would not generate enough revenue to pay the pending dues of contractors.[10]
In 2021, government documents listed the following about the project's unit 1: "Liquidation Order date 11.10.2018; The liquidator has started the process of liquidating the company by selling the assets of the Corporate Debtor on piecemeal basis. BHEL claims certain unpaid lien on the assets available at the site of the Corporate Debtor and in this regard matter is still pending before the Supreme Court of India."[11]
In 2023, the liquidation process had not progressed, according to the Broad Status reports from May 2023 and November 2023.[12][13]
Coal source
On its website in 2011, VISA Power stated that it had been "allotted 99.12 million MT of coal from Fatehpur East Coal Block" and 35 million cubic metres from the River Mahanadi, 30 kilometres south of the proposed power station. The company said power from the proposed station "shall be supplied to Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited, Tata Power Trading Corporation Limited and balance to distribution licensees and industrial consumers in Maharashtra, Gujarat and other power-deficit states in the Northern and Western parts of India."[1]
The block, however, was part of the 218 coal blocks whose allocations were cancelled by the Supreme Court in August 2014.[10]
The project's 2013 environmental status report stated coal for the power station would be imported from Indonesia.[14]
Opposition
According to a report in Down to Earth, at a public hearing in October 2009 on Visa Power's Raigarh project, villagers burned the tents a day before the scheduled hearing. A C Mallo, Raigarh regional officer of Chhattisgarh Environmental Conservation Board (CECB) said, "Unfortunately, we have coal now, but 10 years later we will have only flyash. People in Raigarh believe if they disrupt a hearing, the project will not get clearance. Instead of expressing their concern and registering their opinion on the project, people tend to get aggressive and resort to violence."[15]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Visa Power, "Chhattisgarh: Raigarh," Visa Power website, accessed November 2011
- ↑ "Environmental compliance report," Visa Power, September 2014
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," India CEA, November 2015
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, March 2016
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," India CEA, July 2016
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, October 2016
- ↑ Saikat Das, Rakhi Mazumdar, "Will Visa Power head for successful revival?" Economic Times, January 10, 2018
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, November 2017
- ↑ "Will Visa Power head for successful revival?," Economic Times, January 10, 2018
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "BHEL, L&T among contractors seeking dues from Visa Power's insolvency," Business Standard, April 25, 2018
- ↑ “Broad Status Report,” Thermal Project Monitoring Division , Central Electricity Authority, November 2021
- ↑ “Broad Status Report,” Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects , Central Electricity Authority, May 2023
- ↑ "Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects" (PDF). Central Electricity Authority. November 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Environmental Status Report," Visa Power, September 2013
- ↑ "Janjgir-Champa: Where power kills," Down to Earth, September 15, 2010
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.
