Sarni: With an eye on the 2013 Assembly
elections in Madhya Pradesh, the ruling BJP government on Friday
promised 24-hour power supply across the state.
"The government will complete the feeder-separation work
by January 2013 to fulfil the promise in our manifesto to
provide uninterrupted power supply in both rural and urban
areas of the state," said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan, who inspected the under construction 2x250 MW unit
each of Satpuda thermal power plant here.
br>
He said that a 660 MW power plant would be constructed in
place of the existing 5 x 62.5 MW units (total 312.5) at the
power plant, as they were over 40-years-old which resulted in
low plant load factor (PLF).
The first 250 MW unit will be commissioned by August
2012, while the second one of the same capacity will start
generating power from November 2012, Chouhan said.
The two units are being constructed at an estimated cost
of Rs 3032.34 crore.
The Chief Minister said Madhya Pradesh has achieved a
growth rate of nearly 10 per cent and has set a target of 12
per cent growth rate in its next five-year plan for which
uninterrupted power supply is essential.
He urged the power plant staff to ensure that PLF of the
Sarni plant increases from the present 60 per cent to 75 per
cent in the near future.
By just increasing one per cent of PLF the power
generating company can save nearly Rs 35 crore, he added.
Earlier, Chouhan, on his arrival, inspected the newly
constructed wagon tippler for off-loading imported coal, under
construction chimney and cooling plant to abreast himself with
the progress made at the Sarni Thermal Power Station of the
Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Limited (MPPGCL).
PTI
