Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is likely to lay foundation for the 800 MW-unit (Stage-V) of Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Station (NTTPS) in early December paving the way for commencement of actual works around March 2016.
NTTPS already has 237 acres in its possession and it took steps for acquiring 70 acres near the plant premises. This additional parcel of land is meant to be used as a fabrication yard initially and stores after the project goes into production.
The new unit is going be a super-critical one that will burn imported coal and will meet a substantial part of the future requirement of power, with due priority to the demand in Andhra Pradesh capital region.
The BTG (boiler, turbine and generator) component of the project has been handed over to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) while bids for BOP (balance-of-plant) work are likely to be finalised towards the end of December.
Reputed companies like TATA, BGR and BHEL are reportedly in contention for the BOP package. It may be noted that the project has crossed all hurdles, including mandatory clearance by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Public hearing was conducted in January 2014.
According to official sources, NTTPS is going to source its entire requirement of coal (8,100 tonnes per day at 90 per cent plant load factor) through MSTC Limited from Indonesia having hit a roadblock in procuring the commodity from mines within the country.
The Indonesian coal is of high calorific value and has low ash content of roughly 16 per cent compared to 35 to 45 per cent in the domestic varieties, which have many boulders that are impediments to pulverising.
The AP-Genco has estimated that the 800 MW-unit alone will generate approximately 6,320 Million Units (MU) of power per annum at the rate of 7.9 MU per mega watt.
With six units of 210 MW capacity each and one 500 MW-unit, NTTPS has on an average produced 13,000 MU per annum with a share of 15 per cent of the grid requirement.
