Thaindian News

Kolkata, July 29 (IANS) The 600 MW thermal power project at West Bengal’s Haldia, being developed by power utility CESC Limited - a RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company, is scheduled to be completed by end of 2013-14, a top company official said Friday.

“The 2×300 MW thermal power project at Haldia, West Bengal, is progressing well. All requisite clearances and investment approval are in place. Coal linkages have been secured. The project is scheduled to be completed by end of 2013-14,” vice chairman Sanjiv Goenka said here.

The 2×300 MW thermal power project at Chandrapur in Maharashtra was also progressing according to schedule, he said.

Goenka said land has already been identified for a coal-based project at Danro in Jharkhand.

“320 acres of land has been recommended by the revenue department. The project got the clearance from panchayet. For the first phase, 350 acres of land is needed. Preliminary work for mining is on now,” he said.

On 90 MW hydro power project in Arunachal Pradesh, Goenka said the detailed project report (DPR) has been completed.

He said the 9 MW solar power project at Pratapgarh in Gujarat will be commissioned within the next three quarters.

Total investment in the project will be Rs.120 crore, he said.

He said the prices of certain grades of coal, which was primarily supplied by Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), were increased by nearly 100 percent which was creating pressure on tariff.

“We have applied to the Regulatory Commission to increase power tariff by 34 paise per unit,” he said.

CESC’s profit after tax (PAT) for 2010-11 stood at Rs 488.40 crore, which reflected a 12.72 percent increase over Rs 433.30 crore during 2009-10. During 2010-11, the company’s earnings from sale of electricity increased by 19.7 percent over the previous year to reach Rs 3,940 crore.