HNPCL Commissions Power Project at Vizag

A 1,040 MW coal powered thermal project has been commissioned in Vizag by the Hinduja National Power Corporation Limited (HNPCL). 2×520 MW thermal power plants have been commissioned as a part of the project that will be set up here. This will make Andhra Pradesh the first state in South India to become a power surplus. The plant has been set up at Palavasa village along the coast. The plant aims to meet the growing need for electricity that industrialisation of the state has created.

“It will primarily cater to the growing power needs of the rising industrial demand in and around the city of Vizag and the Southern Region, which includes some of the fastest growing economies in the country,”said Ashok Puri, MD of HNPCL. He also released a statement stating the commissioning of both units of the project. Unit-1 has been supplying power since January 2016 and both the units are now said to be functional. The entire power generated reportedly goes to the state owned power distribution companies.

Andhra Pradesh is now implementing a 24×7 Power for All Scheme. The aim is to achieve 29,000 MW installed capacity by 2019. The $1.25 million project utilises coal from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited holds the EPC contract for the project. The total sum of the project is a mix of debt and equity with State Bank of India and 15 other Indian banks backing it up. Over the next few years, HNPCL hopes to generate 10,000 MW of power.