The Hindu Business Line : Work on Dabhol Phase-II may be over by March

Snapshot
Ratnagiri Gas is trying to bring gas from the HBJ (Hazira-Bijapur-Jagdishpur) gas pipeline, routing it through Dahej.
NTPC exploring the possibility of setting up a power plant in Nigeria against which it might import LNG from that country.

DABHOL PLANS: Mr T. Sankaralingam (right), Chairman and Managing Director, NTPC Ltd, and Mr A.K. Singhal, Director (Finance); at a press conference in Chennai on Friday. - Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai , Nov. 10

Work on the second phase of the Dabhol power project is expected to be completed by March 2007.

It will start generating power once gas linkage is available, Mr T. Sankaralingam, Chairman and Managing Director, NTPC Ltd, said on Friday.

At a press conference here, Mr Sankaralingam said that the joint venture (Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd) of NTPC, Gas Authority of India and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board, had started the 700-MW phase-I of the Dabhol plant, which runs on naphtha.

The 1,400-MW second phase would, however, have to run necessarily on natural gas, or the project would not be viable, he said.

The joint venture is trying to bring gas from the HBJ (Hazira-Bijapur-Jagdishpur) gas pipeline, routing it through Dahej, which is a landing point for imported LNG. This way, Dabhol could get either natural gas from the HBJ pipeline (which gets the gas from Bombay High), or imported LNG.

In another context, Mr Sankaralingam said NTPC was negotiating with some countries for gas, offering in return to build power projects in those countries. He refused to amplify on this on the grounds that it might jeopardise the negotiations.

Power plant in Nigeria

A company press release said that NTPC was exploring the possibility of setting up a power plant in Nigeria against which it might import LNG from that country.

"Ask me after one month and I'll have something to say," he told Business Line.

Mr Sankaralingam said that NTPC would add 22,000 MW to its present capacity of 51,000 MW in the 11th Plan period ending 2012. At present, 10,840 MW are under construction, 3,120 MW under ordering and 2,980 MW under tendering.

He said that the company was interested in two of the seven ultra mega projects (of 4,000 MW capacity each) — Krishnapatnam and Sasan. For assured supply of coal for these projects, the company was looking at buying into coal mines in Indonesia or Australia, he said.