Hinduja National Power commissions 1,040 MW

[Swas]

Hinduja National Power commissions 1,040 MW thermal power project in Visakhapatnam

Hyderabad, July 25:  

 

Hinduja National Power Corporation Limited (HNPCL) has commissioned its 1,040 MW coal fired thermal power project located near Visakhapatnam.

The company has commissioned 2x520 MW thermal power plants and expects it to cater to the increasing demand for electricity in Andhra Pradesh, which has become the first southern State to become power surplus.

Ashok Puri, Managing Director, HNPCL in a statement said, “We have commissioned both the units of the project. Unit-1 started supplying power to grid since January 2016. Currently both the units are in operation. The entire power generated by project is being given to State-owned Southern and Eastern Power Distribution Companies of Andhra Pradesh.”

“It will primarily cater to the growing power needs of the rising industrial demand in and around the city of Visakhapatnam and the Southern Region, which includes some of the fastest growing economies in the country,” he said.

Andhra Pradesh is implementing 24X7 “Power for All Scheme.” The State had initiated the power sector reforms in 1998 and now has a total installed capacity is 15,311 MW. It is aiming at achieving 29,000 megawatt installed capacity by 2019.

Part of the Hinduja Group, Hinduja National Power Corporation Limited, has set up this Greenfield 1,040 thermal power plant on the coast of Bay of Bengal at Palavalasa village in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has been the main EPC contractor for the project. The $1.25 billion project has 100 per cent coal allocation from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. It has a mix of debt and equity where State Bank of India led consortium of 15 Indian banks have backed it as lenders to the project.

Identifying the power sector as a growth area, the Hinduja Group has a vision to create generation capacity of 10,000 MW over the next few years with an expected investment of around $ 12–14 billion. These projects will be diversified in terms of geographic location, technology, fuel type and fuel source.