IFFCO to set up 1000-MW plant in Kalol at cost of Rs 3,500 cr

Kalol, Gujarat, July 20 (UNI) Fertiliser major Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) plans to install a Rs 3,500-crore Mega power plant of 1000-MW capacity, using Kaveri Gas basin's gas as fuel, which will be supplied by the Gujarat State Petroleum Corpn. Ltd. (GSPCL), to meet the future need of power in Gujarat and in the western grid.

The Kalol power plant would be the second to be set up by IFFCO, the first one of the same capacity is coming up in Chhattisgarh in a joint venture. The power produced at both the plants would be bought back by the respective state Governments.

''The feasibility study of the project is completed and a detailed project report preparation is under progress,'' Mr A K Sinha, General Manager, IFFCO's Kalol Unit, informed the mediapersons visiting the plant here.

He said the power plant would be set up within the premises of the existing urea manufacturing unit, after getting a commitment from the state Government, that GSPCL would ensure supply of gas from the Kaveri Basin. The commitment is expected to be received by 2008-09.

Once the commitment is received, the construction work for the power plant would begin without any delay and would be operational by 2012, Mr Sinha said.

He also mentioned that a team of engineers was studying the available data for project report and Regional and Central Environment Inspection Agencies' study for the mega power plant.

The state Government will buyback the whole power produced at the plant and sell it to the prospective buyers, Mr Sinha said and added that the requirement of IFFCO unit is a meager 10 MW. The rest of the power would be sold to the Government, he said.

Out of the 10 MW requirement, the unit was using only 8.5 MW and the rest of the need was being met through steam turbines.

Originally, the IFFCO unit in Kalol was set up in 1975 and was expanded in 1997 bringing the total project cost to Rs 221 crore.

The Kalol unit has the installed capacity to produce 1650 tonnes of urea and 1100 tonnes of ammonia per day, but has been over utilising its capacity to produce around 1750 mt of urea per day.

IFFCO is registered as a Multi-State Co-operative Society having a country-wide cooperatives membership of 37424. It has five plants including at Kandla, Kalol, Phulpur, Aonla and Nellore with a total production capacity of 3.6 million tonnes of urea and 4.3 million tonnes of phosphotic and potash fertiliser (P2O5).

UNI BBS RA RN1716