GODDA, JHARKHAND: Jindal Steel Power(JSPL) group has launched a 1,320-mw thermal power plant at Godda, which could be the first such venture in the economically backward Santhal Pargana district ofJharkhand.
The plant, which is due to come up in three-and-a-half years, will have two units of 660 mw each and will require an investment of Rs8,500 crore. It will be the first power project in the state to be built on super-critical technology. This is part of a series of investments lined up by JSPL in Jharkhand. The company has decided to set up 6-mt steel-making capacity each at Patratu and Asanboni, along with another 1,320 mw power plant at Patratu in Ramgarh district.
"We will use the power generated at Godda to meet the captive needs of steel units in Patratu and Asanboni. We require about 1,200 acres for the project and the township which we are in the process of acquiring through the government with full consent of the people," said Naveen Jindal, chairman, JSPL. While steel plants will require 50-60% of power, JSPL hopes to sell the surplus to the state grid, he added.
However, JSPL is focussing more on adding steel capacity at Patratu, with the company running into land acquisition problems at Asanboni. JSPL hopes to achieve 9-million tonne steel capacity by 2015, said Ravi Upaal, MD, JSPL group.
