Sundargarh Ultra Mega Power Project

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Sundargarh Ultra Mega Power Project is a cancelled power station in Bhedabahal, Sundergarh, Odisha, India. It is also known as Bedabahal power station, Beda-bahal power station.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Sundargarh Ultra Mega Power Project Bhedabahal, Sundergarh, Odisha, India 22.040484, 84.032603 (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
Phase 1 cancelled coal - unknown 4000 supercritical

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
Phase 1 Orissa Integrated Power Ltd (OIPL) [100.0%]

Financing

Source of financing:

Background

The 4,000 megawatt project is in the state of Orissa (now called Odisha).[1][2] It was one of the Ultra Mega Power Projects proposed by the government of India.

By 2008 a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) named Orissa Integrated Power Limited had been formed and coal blocks allotted in Meenakshi, Meenakshi-B and Dipside Meenakshi with a reserve of 880 million tonnes. The expected commissioning date was 2013.[3]

Orissa Integrated Power Limited is a 100% subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation.[4]

Twenty power companies, including Tata Power and Lanco, submitted bids for the 4,000 MW ultra mega power project (UMPP) and were believed to have qualified for the second round, which starts in October 2011.[5]

OIPL submitted a revised proposal for environment clearance in October 2013.[6]

In August 2014 it was reported that the state government would begin work on the project even though bids for its construction and operation had yet to be awarded.[7]

Bidding for the project was cancelled in December 2014, as private companies pulled out, leaving only public companies. The private companies raised concerns on the design, build, finance, operate, and transfer (DBFOT) model for the UMPP, saying the risk and benefits were not apportioned equitably, with most losses going to the power producer while most gains would go to the procurer. The power ministry said it would revise the standard bidding documents.[8] A new bid is planned for October 2015.[9]

In March 2016, the India government said it planned to bid out three ultra mega power projects that year: Cheyyur in Tamil Nadu, Sundargarh (Bedabahal) in Odisha and Banka in Bihar.[10]

In July 2016, a state green panel gave first-stage clearance for diverting 17.02 hectares of revenue forest land for the project, a portion of the 1,302.36 hectares needed, most of which is non-forested land.[11]

According to India's proposed Electricity Plan 2017-2022, fresh bids will be issued on the UMPP after finalization of standard bidding documents by the expert committee.[12]

In December 2017, it was reported that the Power Ministry had set up an expert committee to review the bidding guidelines for UMPPs, and that compensation for private land for the project had been paid to more than 90 percent affected families.[13]

According to 2019 reporting, the proposed UMPP had not started "although many years have passed after the government acquired land for it." The article highlighted that "as the plant is getting delayed, the villagers in the acquired areas are not getting the expected government benefits. Many poor villagers in this area have not received their ration cards yet. Basic development works here have also stopped. The villagers have asked the government to either establish the UMPP or return their lands."[14]

As of January 2022, there had been no known developments on the project and it was presumed shelved or cancelled.

Coal blocks

On June 29, 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Forests gave approval to three proposed plants in Orissa and cleared six coal blocks related to the plants. Three coal-blocks (Meenakshi-A, Meenakshi-B and Meenakshi Dipside) were allocated to the Sundargarh UMPP. Five of the six coal blocks were in areas the Environment Ministry had previously defined as no go areas for mining in 2010, including Dulanga, as those areas had over 30 per cent gross forest cover. The actual mining process can begin only once the companies receive the final approval of a panel set up to assess projects in forest areas.[15]

In July 2015 it was reported that Meenakshi, Meenakshi-B and dip side of Meenakshi coal blocks have been allocated for the 4,000 Mw plant.[8]

Citizen Action

On September 21, 2011, civil society groups said the Orissa government should conduct a fresh study on thermal power plants in the state, a day after the National Green Tribunal recommended in-depth research on the impact of radiation from a plant at Koradi in Maharashtra. Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) convenor Ranjan Panda said: "all under construction thermal power plants [should] stop work before such impacts assessments are done and ask for fresh environment impact assessment studies and public hearings for these plants in line with the latest judgment."[16]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. Rebecca Petchey, Michael Lampard and Alan Copeland, Thermal coal", Australian commodities, ABARE, Volume 17 number 1, March quarter 2010, page 155.
  2. Amiti Sen & Subhash Narayan, "States make case for second UMPP with advanced land clearances", Economic Times, (India), March 20, 2010.
  3. "Sundergarh Ultra Mega Power Project in Orissa by 2013" KSEB Officers' Association, December 22, 2008.
  4. "PFC 30th Annual Report, 2015-2016," pages 151-152
  5. "20 bidders qualify for next round for Orissa's UMPP" The Economic Times, Sep. 20, 2011.
  6. "OIPL drafting PPA for Odisha UMPP: The maiden UMPP with a capacity of 4000 Mw is coming up at Bhedabahal in Sundargarh district," BS Reporter, December 30, 2013.
  7. "Government begins work on four new ultra mega power projects," The Economic Times, Aug 24, 2014.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "R&R site for Odisha UMPP to be finalised soon," Business Standard, July 1, 2015
  9. "Odisha may get another UMPP at Gajamara," Business Standard, Sep 4, 2015
  10. "Energiser for mega power projects," Telegraph, March 1, 2016
  11. "OIPLS Rs29000 cr power project gets Stage I green nod," Money Control, July 21, 2016
  12. India Electricity Plan 2017-2022, India CEA, Dec 2016, page Intro 1.25
  13. "State asked to submit views on UMPP by Jan 1," New Indian Express, Dec 26, 2017
  14. "Ultra-mega power projectfaces uncertainty," Orissa Post, September 12, 2019
  15. "Environment ministry clears 3 Orissa power projects" Business Today, June 29, 2011.
  16. Bhubaneswar, "Activists demand fresh study on Orissa thermal plants" Deccan Herald, Sep. 21, 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.