The Hindu Business Line : Karnataka to augment power generation capacity

Power plans
The new projects would come up in Gulbarga, Bijapur, Raichur and Mysore districts.
The additional capacity of 1,500 MW would be implemented through various new projects, including the second phase of the Varahi hydel project, expansion of Bellary thermal power project and unit eight of the Raichur Thermal Power Station.

Bangalore , Aug. 28

The Karnataka Government plans to augment the current power generation capacity by 1,500 MW in the next two years at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore.

Announcing this recently, the Power Minister, Mr H.D. Revanna, said, in addition to the near term proposals, Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL) plans to add 4,000 MW in the next five years for which it proposes to invest Rs 17,000 crore. The new projects, most of them thermal-based, would come up in Gulbarga, Bijapur, Raichur and Mysore districts.

Mr Revanna said the additional capacity of 1,500 MW would be implemented through various new projects, including the second phase of the Varahi hydel project, expansion of Bellary thermal power project and unit eight of the Raichur Thermal Power Station.

Project cost

The unit eight of Raichur plant with a 230-MW capacity is estimated to cost Rs 230 crore while the second unit of Bellary project would be taken up at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore to build a 500-MW plant.

Mr Revanna, who is also the Chairman of KPCL, donated a cheque of Rs five crore to the Chief Minister, Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy, towards the Chief Minister's relief fund.

KPCL had also planned to tap wind energy to produce 1,050 MW of power in Chitradurga district. The wind energy projects would be set up with private partnership. The Government had also taken initiative to improve the power distribution systems and KPTCL would spend Rs 1,750 crore, he said.