The NTPC started commercial operation of the 800 MW second unit of the Darlipali Super Thermal Power Station in Odisha's Sundargarh district on Wednesday.
Odisha is entitled to receive 50 per cent of the power generated by the Darlipali project, while the remaining will be sold to Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim and West Bengal, the state-run energy conglomerate said in a release.
The unit had completed its trial operation on July 21, said S K Satya, NTPC's regional executive director of the eastern region.
"Second unit of NTPC Darlipali Stage-I (2x800 MW) located in Odisha started commercial operation w.e.f (with effect from) 00:00 Hrs of 01.09.2021," the NTPC Limited tweeted.
In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, it said the commercial capacity of the NTPC and the NTPC group would become 53,225 MW and 66,650 MW respectively with Darlipali's second unit coming on stream.
The power major has already spent over Rs13,500 crore on the project that is estimated to cost Rs13,700 crore. The first unit of the plant was commissioned in March last year, the release said.
According to the power purchase agreement with the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, the cost of generating power from the Darlipali plant will be Rs 2.90 per unit.
Work on construction of a railway line for transportation of coal and a merry go round (MGR) that will link to the railway sidings at Laikera and Kechobahal stations in Jharsuguda district for coal dispatch to the plant is being expedited. It is expected that these will be completed by next June.
The construction of the railway lines and the MGR was delayed due to land-acquisition problems. However, the issue was resolved after the Cabinet Committee on Investment took up the matter with the state government on January 21, the release stated.
Installation of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) system to curb emission of sulfur oxide is under progress and will be completed by next year.
The pit head-based thermal power plant is currently sourcing its requirement of fossil fuel from its Dulanga coal mines in Sundargarh.
With a daily requirement of about 25,000 tonnes, the Dulanga mine has the capacity to meet 20,000 tonnes. The balance requirement will be met from Mahanadi Coalfields by road, the NTPC said.
"Once the MGR project is over, NTPC will meet the additional coal requirement from anywhere in the country through railway," Satya added.
Water for the plant is sourced from the Hirakud reservoir through a pipeline, covering a distance of about 45 km from the project site.
