Work on Trinco power plant to begin by year's end

India's State-run power producer NTPC Ltd will start work on its Lankan project by year-end, Indian media reported last week.

Last year, both NTPC and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) had incorporated a joint venture, Trincomalee Power Co, to set up a 500 MW coal-based power project at Sampur in the Trincomalee region. The overall investment of the project was expected to be Indian Rs 3,000 crore.

"The feasibility report for the project is ready and both governments are likely to sign the remaining agreements, including a power purchase agreement by September, and the work on the project is likely to start by December," said CEB Chairman Wimaladharma Abeywickrama.

While confirming the Sri Lanka developments, a top NTPC official said an environmental impact assessment was going on for its proposed 1,320-Mw (2X660-Mw) project at Khulna in Bangladesh.

"We are yet to get environment clearance for the Khulna project," the official said. A 50:50 joint venture is already in place between NTPC and the Bangladesh Power Development Board regarding this.

In yet another foreign venture, the firm was planning to develop a 620 Mw hydro electric project in Bhutan. It has already prepared a detailed project report on the Amochu hydro electric project in Bhutan.

The state-run power major has already requested the Centre for allocation of the Amochu Reservoir Hydro Electric Project to NTPC for execution in joint venture mode. However, the official added that NTPC's plans to set up a solar project in Maldives was still in its initial stages.