The Odisha Government on Thursday signed an agreement to set up a seawater desalination plant at Gopalpur in Ganjam district, the state’s first project of its kind under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, with an estimated cost of around Rs 1,000 crore, an official said.
The agreement was signed by the State-owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the state’s PPP Cell at the 66th meeting of the Empowered Committee on Infrastructure for PPP Projects, chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg.
The proposed 100 MLD (million litres per day) facility will come up at Gopalpur Industrial Park and cater to the water requirements of industries in the region.
Garg stressed the need to build a pipeline of viable PPP projects across sectors, including affordable urban housing and industrial infrastructure, with a focus on initiatives having a significant social impact. Kamal Dorabawila, Manager, PPP Transaction Advisory Services (South Asia) at the IFC, said the organisation was keen to position Odisha as a strategic hub for globally competitive investment opportunities.
The committee granted in-principle approval to 11 projects, with a combined estimated cost of around Rs 15,498 crore, identified under the collaboration with the IFC, a statement said. It also approved five new projects worth around Rs 831.68 crore.
The committee further reviewed the progress of 28 ongoing PPP projects with a combined estimated cost of around Rs 28,764.28 crore, the statement added.