Talabira power station

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Talabira power station is a power station in Talabira, Sambalpur, Odisha, India with multiple units of varying statuses none of which are currently operating. It is also known as Neyveli Talabira Super Critical Thermal Power Project (NTTPP).

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Talabira power station	Talabira, Sambalpur, Odisha, India	21.778342, 83.989506 (exact)

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

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Stage I Unit 1, Stage I Unit 2, Stage I Unit 3, Stage II Unit 4: 21.778342, 83.989506

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year	Retired year
Stage I Unit 1	permitted	coal - unknown	800	supercritical	2029	–
Stage I Unit 2	permitted	coal - unknown	800	supercritical	2029	–
Stage I Unit 3	permitted	coal - unknown	800	supercritical	2029	–
Stage II Unit 4	announced	coal - unknown	800	supercritical	–	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner
Stage I Unit 1	NLC India Ltd [100.0%]
Stage I Unit 2	NLC India Ltd [100.0%]
Stage I Unit 3	NLC India Ltd [100.0%]
Stage II Unit 4	NLC India Ltd [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): domestic
• Permit(s): February 2, 2021 – Environmental Clearance; Terms of Reference: 2017-12-27; Environmental Impact Assessment: 2020-06, February 2, 2021 – Environmental Clearance; Terms of Reference: 2017-12-27; Environmental Impact Assessment: 2020-06

Background

The project has been in discussion since at least 2011. It was referred to as a 1,000 megawatt (MW) project on the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) website and a 2,000MW project in Hindu Business. It was proposed to be developed by a joint venture between NLC and Mahanadi Coal Fields Limited. NLC stated on its website that it was proposed that the power station source coal from the Talabira Mine in the adjacent lb Valley. NLC, Mahanadi Coal Fields and Hindalco were proposing to establish a separate joint venture company for the mining operation.

The project subsequently dropped from the company websites, and was not mentioned again until September 5, 2017, when NLC India applied for a 3 x 800 MW coal plant known as NLC-Talabira. Coal would be met from the captive Talabira mines. A pre-feasibility report from the same time stated that NLC India was planning to implement a 3,200 MW power station in two stages: Stage I of 3 x 800 MW and Stage II of 1 x 800 MW "at a later date."

In September 2023, NLC India signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Odisha state power supplier Grid Corporation of Odisha (GRIDCO) for a total of 800 MW. GRIDCO would reportedly purchase 400 MW from Stage I and another 400 MW from Stage II. The 2,400 MW of Stage I was now fully tied up in PPAs, as NLC India had previously signed deals accounting for 2000 MW of power.

Stage I: 2,400 MW

A terms of reference for a 3 x 800 MW coal plant was granted on December 27, 2017. In February 2020, NLC India submitted an application for grant of Environmental Clearance, and a revised EIA in June 2020. An estimated 291 families will be displaced, and an additional 221 families affected.

In November 2020, the Expert Appraisal Committee of the India Ministry of the Environment said it plans to grant environmental clearance to the project, subject to some further revisions in its EIA.

Environmental Clearance for the project was granted on February 2, 2021.

In April 2022, the Thermal Expert Appraisal Committee discussed the project and a related appeal seeking to quash its permit. The status of Jharsuguda as a "Critically Polluted Area" or "Other Polluted Area‟ based on 2008 and 2018 assessments was addressed.

In June 2022, Adani Watch reported that in March 2022, NLC India Limited signed a pact with a government-owned power generation and distribution company to supply 1,500 MW of power from a pithead coal-power plant in Talabira. Activities were underway for construction of a 2,400 MW plant which would supply electricity to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation as per the pact.

However, development was unclear based on Planet satellite imagery from June 2022. Government construction reports were also silent about the project. The plant was expected by 2026-2027.

In December 2022, power equipment manufacturers – the public sector BHEL and the joint venture, L&T-MHI — were bidding for the three packages related to the plant: boiler, turbine-generator, and balance of plant.

A February 2023 news article reported that a single package EPC tender had been floated for the Talabira project, and that "techno commercial evaluation of bids are in advanced stage of completion" . Another February 2023 article reported that the Talabira thermal project's entire power had been allocated for Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, and Odisha.

An Adani Watch report in May 2023 provided updates on the associated Talabira mines: "The Talabira coal mine was supposed to supply coal to a proposed 3200 MW coal-power plant to be developed by NLC near the pithead of the mine. Transport of coal from the mine to NLC’s Talabira power plant was to take place using a closed conveyor-belt system from the coal depot. Neither the power plant nor the conveyor-belt system has materialized."

The power project was not included in the May 2023 Broad Status report of power projects under construction, nor was there other news that construction had begun as of July 2023.

According to reporting from August 2023, the 3 x 800 MW power station was now expected to be completed by 2028–29. November reporting indicated that the power station would likely begin construction in December or January.

In January 2024, NLC awarded an EPC contract for the three 2,400 MW project to construction company BHEL. At the time, the entire capacity of the proposed power station was tied up in power purchase agreements with Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Kerala, and Puducherry. February 2024 reporting announced that the project's foundational stone had been laid and endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Estimated investment cost reaches Rs 27,000 Crore.

Stage II: 800 MW

Since being announced in 2017, the additional 800 MW unit of the Talabira power station did not appear to be referenced again until a transcript of the September 2022 NLC Annual General Meeting stated that the Talabira Thermal Power Project would have a capacity of 3,200 MW (4 X 800 MW).

The proposed Stage II was mentioned again in September 2023, when NLC India signed a PPA with Odisha's GRIDCO that included 400 MW from Stage II.

As of October 2023, the status of the Stage II proposal was not entirely clear, as the power plant's environmental clearance from 2021 was for 2,400 MW only and information on Stage II was not available in the government's Parivesh portal. However, reporting from December 2023 through February 2024 noted that NLC was indeed planning to build the fourth 800 MW unit, for a total of 3,200 MW at the power station.

Articles and Resources

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.