Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged the Union Government to sanction Rs1, 200 crore for setting up of a Pump Storage Project at Upper Indravati with a capacity of 600 megawatt.
Talking to Union Minister Coal, Power, New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal here on Friday, Patnaik proposed to the Centre for such a funding from the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF). The Union Government has created NCEF for funding innovative projects in clean energy technology.
The Odisha Hydro Power Corporation has proposed to set up one Pump Storage Project with an outlay of Rs1, 600 crore to generate peaking power.
Patnaik has urged Goyal to sanction 75 per cent of the project from NCEF. Up to 2014-15, Rs16, 388 crore has been collected as Coal Cess for the NCEF.
During 2015-16 Rs13, 118 crore will be collected as Coal Cess for NCCF, which will be allocated for various projects on renewable energy.
So huge funds are available in NCCF and States like Odisha wth coal mines are the front runner for such funding as the State is facing the burnt due to pollution caused by coal mining.
Among other demands, the State Government has urged the Centre to allocate a suitable open cast coal block in Talcher area to Odisha Thermal Power Corporation (OTPCl), a PSU of the State Government. This coal block will provide fuel for the 2,400 MW Thermal Power Plant being set up at Kamakshya Nagar in Dhenkanal. The State Government specifically urged to de-allocate Tentuloi underground coal block
given earlier.
During the discussion, it was pointed out that a number of steel and aluminium sectors do not have coal blocks or adequate coal linkage. Those have invested in the State with hope to take advantage of the natural resources.
They provide substantial revenue and employment in Odisha; so the Union Government must create conducive allocation mechanism to meet their requirements.
Aluminium, being a power intensive industry, has to be treated on par with the power sector as blocks of 100 million tones or more are considered only for power sector.
Unless this is done, the large aluminium projects, which have come up in Odisha, because of the natural advantage that State enjoys of having bauxite and coal, will be deprived of a principal raw material for their industries.
Another issue, which cropped up during discussion was surrender of NTPC power, said sources. In view of the adequate availability of power from upcoming thermal generating stations located in the State, the State Government intends to surrender the Odisha share of power allocated from NTPC stations located outside the State totaling to 1,514 MW, said sources.