Question mark on Anpara C upgrade
Vishal Sharma
New Delhi/ Agra Though the UP government has approved the proposal of increasing the capacity of the Anpara C power project from 1,000 Mw to 1,200 Mw, subject to Lanco Anpara Power Pvt Ltd getting requisite clearances, there’s confusion still in the power ministry about the increased capacity.
This is evident from a recent judgment by the UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) in which it asked the UP Power Corporation Ltd to reconsider the upgrade of this project in view of the infrastructural problems that would arise in supporting the raised capacity.
Meanwhile, a highly placed source in the UP Power Corporation Ltd said though the increase in capacity for Anpara C had been approved [vide UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) letter no. 2351/CE/PPMM/Anpara C dated 22/8/2007], LANCO Anpara Power Pvt Ltd still had to obtain the requisite permissions and clearances for the raised capacity before the 20 per cent increase was declared official.
The source said the 20 per cent capacity rise had always been on the agenda between the UPRVUNL and bidders, who were asking for flexible power-generation capacity for this project, but the demand was ruled out, both by the UPRVUNL and the UP Power Corporation Ltd, and the project was granted to Lanco.
The fact that Lanco had applied for environmental clearance and got it from the Union Ministry of Environment nearly five months before the state government acceded to Lanco’s request for hiking capacity, raised questions on the transparency of the entire deal, he said.
Lanco had been asked by the UPRVUNL to develop a 1,000 Mw Anpara ‘C’ thermal power project. During the bidding process, the other bidders had sought a flexible capacity rise of up to 20 per cent in the project, which was turned down by the UPREC.
But on January 18 this year Lanco requested the environment ministry for clearance in accordance with the provisions of the EIA notification, 2006, for setting up a 1,200 Mw thermal power project, which was summarily granted on March 20, 2007.
This is evident from a recent judgment by the UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) in which it asked the UP Power Corporation Ltd to reconsider the upgrade of this project in view of the infrastructural problems that would arise in supporting the raised capacity.
Meanwhile, a highly placed source in the UP Power Corporation Ltd said though the increase in capacity for Anpara C had been approved [vide UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) letter no. 2351/CE/PPMM/Anpara C dated 22/8/2007], LANCO Anpara Power Pvt Ltd still had to obtain the requisite permissions and clearances for the raised capacity before the 20 per cent increase was declared official.
The source said the 20 per cent capacity rise had always been on the agenda between the UPRVUNL and bidders, who were asking for flexible power-generation capacity for this project, but the demand was ruled out, both by the UPRVUNL and the UP Power Corporation Ltd, and the project was granted to Lanco.
The fact that Lanco had applied for environmental clearance and got it from the Union Ministry of Environment nearly five months before the state government acceded to Lanco’s request for hiking capacity, raised questions on the transparency of the entire deal, he said.
Lanco had been asked by the UPRVUNL to develop a 1,000 Mw Anpara ‘C’ thermal power project. During the bidding process, the other bidders had sought a flexible capacity rise of up to 20 per cent in the project, which was turned down by the UPREC.
But on January 18 this year Lanco requested the environment ministry for clearance in accordance with the provisions of the EIA notification, 2006, for setting up a 1,200 Mw thermal power project, which was summarily granted on March 20, 2007.
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