The Hindu Business Line : Orissa could become India's powerhouse, says CM

Investment plans
Reliance ADA Group plans to set up a 12,000 MW thermal power plant at Hirma in western Orissa.
Companies keen to enter the State's power sector include Tata Power Company Ltd, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Sterlite Energy Private Ltd, AES Corporation, Calcutta Electricity Supply Company and Monet Ispat Ltd.

Prafulla Das

Bhubaneswar , July 21

While attracting huge investments in the steel sector to become a major steel hub in the world, Orissa also appears to be on course to become the country's powerhouse by producing huge volumes of electricity in the coming years.

"Orissa has 61 billion tonnes of coal reserve, which can sustain power generation in the order of 100,000 MW for a century. The State, which also has vast water resources, can become the powerhouse of the nation," the Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, said on Friday, while addressing presspersons with the Chairman of the Reliance ADA Group, Mr Anil Ambani.

Mr Patnaik's observations weresupported by Mr Ambani. "As we look at the future of the energy sector, there is no doubt in my mind that Orissa, having huge reserves of coal, will become the power hub of the country," he said, while announcing his Group's plans to set up a 12,000 MW thermal power plant at Hirma in western Orissa.

The power scene

Mr Patnaik's words might become true if all the projects in the pipeline are implemented without hurdles. If Mr Ambani's proposed investment of around Rs 60,000 crore in the Hirma project is taken into account, the total investment in the proposed thermal power projects in the State is well over Rs 1,00,000 crore, to produce more than 37,000 MW of power.

While some companies have already signed memoranda of understanding(MoUs), many have disclosed plans to set up thermal power units in the State. The companies keen to enter the State's power sector include Tata Power Company Ltd, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Sterlite Energy Private Ltd, AES Corporation, Calcutta Electricity Supply Company and Monet Ispat Ltd.At present, a total of 7,332 MW of power is being produced in Orissa out of which nearly 2,000 MW is being availed by the State and the remaining goes to other States. The Centre-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) alone is producing 3,000 MW of power. In the hydro power sector, Orissa is producing an average of 700 MW at present.

Apart from the power producing companies, companies running other industries in the State have been increasing the production capacity of their captive power plants in recent years. Many such companies are already selling their excess power to the Grid Corporation of Orissa (Gridco).