Odisha to tap tidal power for power

If everything goes the right way, Odisha would have its first tidal power plant in the near future. The project is proposed to be set up at Chandbali in Bhadrak district and the power generation would be carried out by using water from sea, said officials.

The State Commerce and Transport Department has accorded go ahead for the project. The 4,000 Mega Watt capacity Ultra Mega Power Plant (UMPP) would come up under the auspices of Sakhigopal Integrated Power Company Ltd (SIPCL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) floated for the ambitious project. Power Finance Corporation (PFC) is the nodal agency for implementation of the power plant.

“SIPCL is provisionally permitted to draw sea water and use it for the proposed additional ultra mega power project of 4,000 MW that is coming up at village Bijoypatna in Chandbali tehsil of Bhadrak district”, said Mr. Mathi Bhatanan, Secretary, State Commerce and Transport (Commerce) Department.

The Government has stipulated certain preconditions for the tidal power generation. SIPCL has been allowed to draw and use the sea water subject to condition that the intake and outfall point of the plant and its pipelines should not come within the port limit and economic corridor of the Dhamra and Chudamani ports, Mr. Bhatanan told this reporter.

It’s pertinent to note here that two more UMPPs in addition to SIPCL are proposed in the State, each with a capacity of 4,000 MW. The said projects would be located at Bhedabahal in Sundergarh district while the second UMPP will come up at Narla under Kesinga sub-division in Kalahandi district.

The Bhedabahal UMPP entailing an investment of Rs. 16,000 crores need 3,100 acres of land. The State is poised to get 1,300 MW from this UMPP. Similarly, the State will get a combined share of 4,000 MW from the other two UMPPs proposed at Chandbali and Narla.

Water for the Bhedabahal UMPP has been allocated from the Ib river and check dams and barrages would be put up on the river for this purpose. Three coal blocks namely Meenakshi, Meenakshi-B and Dipside Meenakshi have been allotted for the UMPP with a total reserve of 880 million tonnes.

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