Mail News Service
Agartala, June 21 : The first Unit of ONGC’s Mega Power project in Tripura was formally dedicated to the Nation by the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Palatana (Tripura) on 21st June 2013. Among the dignitaries present on the occasion wereGovernor of Tripura, Shri Devanand Konwar, Chief Minister of Tripura, Shri Manik Sarkar, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dr. M. Veerappa Moily, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi and Chairman, ONGC-Tripura Power Company (OTPC) and ONGC Group of Companies, Shri Sudhir Vasudeva. This Unit 1 of the gas-based plant will generate 363.3 MW. The Unit II of the 726.6 MW power plant is expected to be commercially operational later this year.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said nature has bestowed Tripura with abundant natural gas. This power project by OTPC in a land locked, logistically challenged and difficult terrain is an important feat. It would pave the way for effective utilization of discovered gas. He expressed hope that this power plant would meet the requirements of power deficient states in the region and open up avenues for industrialization in Tripura. The President pointed out that the power project not only constituted the largest investment in the North East but it was also the largest project in the world registered under the Clean Development Mechanism of the UNFCC. It would earn India over a million of carbon credits.
The President specially thanked the President, Prime Minister and Government of Bangladesh for their support in making this project possible. He called for increased cooperation between India and Bangladesh in power sector. He said it was a much awaited and proud moment for all stake holders. He lauded the efforts of those associated with this important venture.
Petroleum Minister Dr Veerappa Moily informed that in line with Government’s efforts to enhance power generation capacity in the country, the government allocated ONGC’s Tripura gas for setting up of this mega power project in the state. This project would ensure abundant availability of the power in the region that in turn will provide significant spur to the growth activities. He added that this single project initiative of ONGC would bring in investments in excess on Rs. 10,000 crore in the region, when we consider the upstream investment of ONGC for supply of gas to the project and also the downstream transmission line from the project site at Palatana to the PGCIL grid-point at Bongaigaon being set up by North East Transmission Co. Ltd. (NETC) for evacuation of power from the project.
He added that special credit must go to ONGC to have successfully implemented this bold project at such a difficult terrain from logistics and support infrastructure point of view. ONGC realized the audacious dream of transporting such heavy and over-dimensional equipment through the territories of Bangladesh. Dr Moily underscored fact that the central and state governments provided all the support in helping ONGC realize its vision for the region. “This daring dream will not only make the region power surplus, but also has provided a platform for further improvement of the ties between the two neighboring nations. The credit for successful implementation is also due to the managements of OTPC and BHEL”, the Minister said.
ONGC, a leading oil PSU under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, has ventured into power generation in north-east to monetize its natural gas resources, which were idle for want of an industrial market. With a total investment of around Rs. 3,804crore, this is the single-largest investment in north-east India.
ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC) has been floated as a joint-venture of ONGC, IL&FS Energy Development Company Ltd. and Tripura Government. The 2×363.3 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine based power project has also been registered as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/president-dedicates-ongc-tripura-power-plant-single-largest-investment-in-ne/
