Talcher power station

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Talcher power station is a power station in Kaniha, Angul, Odisha, India with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating. It is also known as Talcher-A power station (Unit A1, Unit A2, Unit A3, Unit A4), Talcher-B power station (Unit B5, Unit B6).

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Talcher power station Kaniha, Angul, Odisha, India 20.9110615, 85.2072412 (exact)

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

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Stage III Unit 1, Stage III Unit 2, Unit A1, Unit A2, Unit A3, Unit A4, Unit B5, Unit B6: 20.9110615, 85.2072412

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Stage III Unit 1 construction[1] coal: bituminous 660 ultra-supercritical 2026 (planned)
Stage III Unit 2 construction[1] coal: bituminous 660 ultra-supercritical 2027 (planned)
Unit A1 retired coal: bituminous 60 subcritical 1967 2021
Unit A2 retired coal: bituminous 60 subcritical 1968 2021
Unit A3 retired coal: bituminous 60 subcritical 1968 2021
Unit A4 retired coal: bituminous 60 subcritical 1969 2021
Unit B5 retired coal: bituminous 110 subcritical 1982 2021
Unit B6 retired coal: bituminous 110 subcritical 1983 2021

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
Stage III Unit 1 NTPC Ltd [100%] NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Stage III Unit 2 NTPC Ltd [100%] NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit A1 NTPC Ltd [100%] NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit A2 NTPC Ltd [100%] NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit A3 NTPC Ltd [100%] NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit A4 NTPC Ltd [100%] NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit B5 NTPC Ltd [100%] NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Unit B6 NTPC Ltd [100%] NTPC Ltd [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

  • Coal source(s): Domestic
  • Permit(s): Environmental Clearance; Terms of Reference: 2009-08-24; Terms of Reference: 2014-10-22; Environmental Impact Assessment[2]

Financing

Source of financing: US$1,327,765,076 in equity from NTPC[3]

Background

Talcher (old) power station was a 460 MW facility consisting of six units built between 1967 and 1983.[4][5]

Retirement

The units shut down March 31, 2021. The plant was a major contributor to air pollution and failed to adhere to environmental norms. In 2017, Talcher was one of the ‘critically polluted industrial areas’ in CPCB’s Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI). The city ranked 165 in the list of the world’s most polluted cities, according to the World Air Quality Report, 2020 prepared by IQAir, a Swiss organization.[6][7]

Just Transition questions

The Orissa High Court issued a notice in March 2021 on a PIL seeking its intervention for rehabilitation of contractual employees set to lose their livelihoods due to closure of the power plant. Gadadhar Samal and two other residents of Talcher had filed the PIL in which they stated that the closure of the power plant was going to create serious financial crisis in the locality as thousands of people directly and indirectly depended on it. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik urged Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh to direct NTPC to address the concerns related to the closure TTPS and take steps for early execution of the stage-III project.[6]

Proposed 1,320 MW expansion (Stage III)

It was reported in August 2010 that Talcher Thermal Power Station would be expanded by adding two 660 MW units at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore. Tenders for the expansion would be floated by October, 2010, and the project was expected to be completed in five years.[8]

In 2010, NTPC signed a Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) with GRIDCO Limited of Orissa (now Odisha) for sale of power from its proposed Talcher Thermal Expansion.[9]

In 2009, the project received a Terms of Reference from the Ministry of Environment and Forests,[10] and again on October 22, 2014.[11]

In June 2015, NTPC said coal for the expansion would be provided from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) of Coal India.[12]

As of November 2016, NTPC was in the process of planning a new public hearing.[13]

An EIA was submitted in January 2018. It stated the plant would use ultra-supercritical technology, with unit 1 planned for commissioning in 2022 and unit 2 in 2026. Efforts were being made to source the coal from Talcher area of Mahanadi Coal fields.[14]

In April 2018, a top NTPC official said tenders for two 660 MW units at its Talcher power plant were almost ready.[15] Environmental clearance for the units was granted on September 9, 2018.[16] That day, NTPC's board approved an investment of Rs 9,785 crore for the 1,320 MW expansion.[3]

In 2018, NTPC reportedly floated tenders for the expansion project at a cost of R 8,900 crore. However, "no progress could be made as the State government failed to give clearance to the proposal." In February 2020, Odisha government "gave its nod" to the new plant, but NTPC then showed little interest in the expansion project. In 2021, a team from NTPC corporate office came "to review the prospects of the new plant," but nothing was known about its fate. NTPC had reportedly yet to take any steps on setting up the new plant. The unit retirements and lack of interest in the new power plant project allegedly "evoked large-scale resentment not only in Angul but also in Odisha."[17]

In March 2022, NTPC had initiated the tendering process. It would take a "minimum of 48 months to complete construction works."[18]

In May 2022, it was reported that NTPC would award a contract to construct the expansion that month.[19]

In July 2022, it appeared Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), an Indian electrical company, was selected as the lowest bidder. NTPC appeared to be checking to see if BHEL could advance the project schedule.[20]

In August 2022, the NTPC board approved an investment of ₹11,843.75 crore.[21]

In September 2022, it was confirmed that BHEL had in fact secured the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) order.[22]

The November 2022 Broad Status noted the following PPA details, among other things: "PPA signed; Odisha SEB: 50% (660 MW) on 02.08.2022; Tamil Nadu SEB: 35% (460 MW) on 26.09.2022; Unallocated- 15%." The units were expected by 2026 and 2027.[23]

The March 2023 Broad Status Report included the two Talcher Thermal Power Station units in its list of "Under Construction Thermal Power Projects in the country" with 0% physical progress and the expected first trial run dates had not changed (2026 and 2027). [24]

According to the May 2023 Broad Status report, construction of the units had still not begun, but the estimated commissioning dates remained 2026 and 2027.[25]

In August 2023, EPC contractor BHEL had reportedly started delivering boiler parts for the expansion units to the power station.[26]

As per November 2023 Broad Status report, both units have entered construction.[27] In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly laid the ceremonious foundation stone for Talcher power station's Stage III.[28][29]

Eviction of Site Inhabitants

In the Central Electricity Authority's 2023 Broad Status Report, the following note was included under "critical issues": "Eviction of unauthorized inhabitants from Munda Basti Area, where Railway siding facility is to be constructed." [24]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240218232421/https://cea.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/thermal_broad/2023/11/BS_Nov_2023_V1.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240125084634/https://environmentclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/Form-1A/EC/091820181EClettertoNTPCTalcher1292018.PDF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. 3.0 3.1 "NTPC board approves Rs 9.7k crore investment for 1,320 MW expansion at Talcher plant," Economic Times, Sep 9, 2018
  4. "Talcher (old) power station India," Global Energy Observatory, accessed May 2014
  5. National Thermal Power Corporation, "Coal Based Power Stations ", National Thermal Power Corporation website, accessed June 2010.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Talcher thermal power plant shuts down, NTPC says modern unit will replace it," Down to Earth, April 2, 2021
  7. "Closing of Unit No. 1 to 6," CEA, June 6, 2021
  8. "NTPC to add another 500 mw to Talcher plant" Fe Bureaus, The Financial Express, August 10, 2010
  9. "NTPC signs PPA with GRIDCO," Construction Week, January 3, 2011
  10. Terms of Reference, India MoEF, August 24, 2009
  11. Terms of Reference, India MoEF, October 22, 2014
  12. "NTPC planning 3,000 MW capacity addition at Talcher," Live Mint, June 11, 2015
  13. "Project Details," Construction Intelligence Center, accessed May 2017
  14. EIA, NTPC, Jan 2018
  15. "NTPC to float tenders to meet FY19 capacity addition target," Financial Express, Apr 20, 2018
  16. Environmental clearance, India MoEF, September 9, 2018
  17. "Talcher Thermal power station shuts on March 31; uncertainty prevails over fate of new power plant," New Indian Express, March 4, 2021
  18. "New Talcher Thermal Power plant on cards," New Indian Express, March 31, 2022
  19. "NTPC to award contract to construct 1,320 MW coal-fired plant," Live Mint, May 3, 2022
  20. "인도, 화력발전공사(NTPC), Talcher 석탄화력발전소 추진," WOW TV, July 21, 2022
  21. "NTPC board okays ₹11,843-crore investment for 1,320 MW Talcher power project Stage-III," The Hindu, August 26, 2022
  22. "BHEL secures EPC order for 2x660 MW Talcher Thermal Power Project Stage-III," BHEL, September 27, 2022
  23. “Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects,” India Central Electricity Authority, November 2022
  24. 24.0 24.1 “Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects,” India Central Electricity Authority, March 2023
  25. Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects, Central Electricity Authority, Government of India, May 2023
  26. "Bhel dispatches boiler parts for NTPC plant," The Times of India, August 2, 2023
  27. "Broad Status Report of Under Construction Thermal Power Projects" (PDF). Central Electricity Authority. November 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. PM Modi to inaugurate power projects worth ₹28,978 crore in Odisha on February 3, The Economic Times, February 2, 2024
  29. Prime Minister Dedicates NTPC Power Projects To The Nation, T & D India, February 3, 2024

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.