The project, which could be commissioned next September, is one of the most ambitious steps CM KCR has initiated shortly after the nation’s inception
UPDATE – 12:12 AM, Monday – November 28 22
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s visit to the Yadadri Ultra Mega Power Plant (UMPP) on Monday will not be a regular inspection visit but to check the progress of a major milestone in the construction of the state’s power sector.
The project, which could be commissioned by September next year, is one of the most ambitious steps initiated by Chandrashekar Rao shortly after the nation’s inception and will play an important role in continuing the 24×7 free electricity scheme.
The 4,000 megawatt (MW) power plant – billed as the largest thermal power plant in the public sector to date – will be constructed at Damarcherla mandal in Nalgonda at an estimated cost of Rs 29,992 crore. Officials expect that once the project is commissioned, there will no longer be any power shortages in Telangana. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been awarded the contract to build the supercritical power plant, which will have five units of 800 MW each.
Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (TS Genco) officials said the first unit will start generating electricity in September 2023. The second unit is expected to be commissioned in December of the same year, with the remaining two to be commissioned in 2024.
According to Genco officials, work on the project is in full swing. About 62% of the work has been completed. This is the third thermal power plant after the formation of Telangana state. Genco built the 800 MW Kothagudem Thermal Power Plant in a record 46 months. The project was commissioned in 2019. Subsequently, the 1,080 MW Bhadradri Power Plant was constructed near Bayyaram in Bhadradri Kothagudem District.
The project became necessary after the Narendra Modi government failed to fulfill the promises made by the then UPA government under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, most importantly those about ensuring sufficient power for the new state of Telangana. Power was one of the two major challenges facing Telangana shortly after its formation.
While one challenge is related to sharing Hyderabad as the state capital, another challenge is ensuring adequate power supply considering factors such as the high number of electric pumps used in agriculture and the presence of a large number of industrial units. To address these challenges, the then Chief Minister-designate K Chandrashekhar Rao discussed power supply issues with the UPA government, which agreed to build a new 4,000 MW thermal power plant at Ramagundam by NTPC, allocating 400 MW of Sileru Hydel Power to generate electricity plant to Telangana and provide a major share (53.89%) of the total electricity generation from former Andhra Pradesh to Telangana.
But shortly after the NDA government came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi merged the seven Mandals with the Sileru Hydel power plants into Andhra Pradesh. Chandrashekhar Rao was annoyed by this, called the bandh and called the prime minister a fascist. NTPC also said that due to financial problems, it will construct the thermal power plant in Ramagundam in two phases.
To ensure that Telangana’s future does not have to be dependent on others for electricity, the Chief Minister has undertaken several initiatives including completion of pending thermal and hydroelectric plants, construction of new large power plants, and improvement of the transmission and supply network. Approved proposals for the development of power plants with a total capacity of 15,560 MW, including the Yadadri Mega Power Plant (4,000 MW) at Damarcherla, Kothagudem Thermal Power Plant (800 MW), Kakatiya Thermal Power Plant (600 MW) , Singareni Thermal Power Plant (1,200 MW, of which 600 MW units have been completed), Bhadradri Thermal Power Plant (1,080 MW), Pulicin Tara Haider Power Plant (120 MW) and Lower Jurassic Haider Power Plant (240 MW), etc. An additional 5,000 megawatts of electricity from solar power has been proposed and is being developed.
All of these projects are undertaken with state government own funds. The state government has managed to complete most of these projects even though the center has delayed the approval of necessary environmental permits and loans from financial institutions.
As such, Damarcherla in the Nalgonda district will be developed as a major power generation hub to meet the growing electricity demand of Telangana in the future. In addition to the 4,000 MW Yadadri UMPP, the project is preparing for a further 4,000 MW expansion. In addition, there is sufficient infrastructure nearby to develop large-scale solar power projects with an installed capacity of 5,000-6,000 MW.
The power plant is being developed at a strategic location near the railway station to ensure a seamless supply of imported coal from Singareni Collieries Company Limited as well as from Kakinada and Krishnapatnam ports.
Meanwhile, the state government has connected to the grid through three different routes: Warda-Dichpally, Warangal-Varora and Angul-Palasa. In addition, around Rs 12,000 crore was spent on infrastructure development and disproportionate simplification of the transmission system. Power purchase agreements are in place with several states, including Rajasthan, so that both countries can draw surplus power from each other, depending on their needs, taking advantage of delays in agricultural operations and consumption.
