The 3rd
–500 MW Unit of the Talcher Super Thermal Power Project of the
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has been commissioned
by Shri Anant G. Geete, Minister of Power, at Kaniha today.
The unit, which is the third of the 3000 MW capacity Talcher
Project, has been completed eight months ahead of schedule.
The project with six units each of 500 MW capacity will be completed
in three phases by 2005. With the commissioning of the IIIrd
unit today, the NTPC Kaniha unit would be providing 1500 MW
of electricity to the National Power Grid.
Speaking on the
occasion, Shri Geete underlined the need for stepping up power
production as a key requisite for national development. He said,
presently the NTPC through its 13 coal-based, 7 gas-based and
3 joint venture power projects provides 21,249 MW of electricity.
It has an ambitious plan of raising the energy generation to
40,000 MW by the year 2012. He appreciated Orissa’s role in
becoming the first state to introduce power reforms, as visualised
by the Centre.
In her address,
the Minister of State for Power, Smt. Jayawanti Mehta said it
was the earnest desire of the central government that power
was guaranteed for all the sectors for sustainable growth of
the economy of the country. The NTPC, she said, would continue
to contribute the major share for making the nation self-reliant
in power.
The Chief Minister
of Orissa, Shri Naveen Patnaik, in his presidential address
said Orissa being the pioneer state in introducing reforms in
the power sector needed centre’s patronage to achieve the goals
set for power production.
Those who attended
the commissioning of the unit include Union Ministers, Shri
Arjun Charan Sethi, Shri Braja Kishore Tripathy, the Orissa
Minister for Power, Shri Surya Narayan Patra, Shri K.P.Sing
Deo and Shri Devendra Pradhan both MPs and local MLAs.
