Girye Ultra Mega Power project @ Sindhudurg gets EOI from 22 bidders

Mumbai, April 17 (UNI) Twenty two bidders from within and outside the country have submitted expression of interest(EOI) to the Girye Ultra Mega Power Project at Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, according to Union Minister of Power Sushilkumar Shinde.

Addressing the bidders conference here today, Mr Shinde said the Girye Ultra Mega project is being developed on super critical technology entailing a substantial investment to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore. The 4000 MW project shall use imported coal as fuel and sea water for cooling purpose. Around 3000 acres of land is proposed to be acquired in the picturesque district of Sindhudurg to be used for the plant, said he.

NTPC, Tata Power, Essar Power, Reliance Energy, Aditya Birla Power, Torrent Group, Itochu Corporation of Japan and Energy Infrastructure Group of Sweden are some of the names figured among the 22 bidders who have submitted their EOI to the Girye project.

Further, Mr Shinde pointed out that the project(Girye) is one of the Centre's initiative to establish 5 Ultra Mega Power projects, as part of the overall aim to add 100,000 MW to India's generation capacity by 2012, which is other than 125,000 MW from the ongoing and already proposed new projects already identified during the 10th&11th plans.

The five Ultra Mega Power projects are to come up in Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Mr Shinde pointed out that: ''though we initially planned for five ultra mega projects, now that the Government of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh has approached for a similar projects in their states. As such, the Government will increase the number from five to seven projects.'' Further, the Power Minister said his ministry's two delegations have already visited countries like South Korea, China and Hong Kong where the investors' response to these Ultra Mega projects were ''tremendous''. ''Our intitial rounds of discussions with leading financial institutions reveals that for good and credible developers and projects offering less expensive power, debt finance would not be a constraint,'' Mr Shinde said.

''To keep the financial institutions, updated about the developments in setting up of these Ultra Mega projects they are being involved at various stages including the final evaluation of the bids,'' he dadded.

The initial developmental works are going at a brisk pace and with the participation of by all the prospective bidders today, Mr Shinde said he will assure a successful implementation of the project.

Replying to a question, Mr Shinde said the award for contract for the successful bidder in the Girye project is scheduled by June 30, 2007.

The Ultra Mega Projects assume greater significance for some of major states like Maharashtra, which is currently facing severe shortages in power, and ''unless the shortages are addressed seriously the whole development and progress of the state would be compromised,'' said he.

Replying to question, Mr Shinde said the Maharashtra will get a total of 4800 MW of power from the five Ultra Mega Power Projects in the country after the implementation. Of this, 2000 MW will come from the its own project(Girye), while another 1000 MW each from Gujarat and Karnataka while another 800 MW from Madhya Pradesh. In effect, he said ''though Maharashtra would generate 4000 MW from Girye, it would get to have all of them plus an additional 800 MW.'' (more) UNI SN PP AG1724