Business

CESC's investment plans

KOLKATA: Power utility CESC on Friday said it would invest Rs. 20,000 crore in Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal over the next six years to revamp its generation capacity.

"We are looking at an investment of Rs. 20,000 crore in the sector within the next six to seven years. Of this, Rs. 10,000 crore has been earmarked for the State and projects that have been identified. We are also looking at Jharkhand and Orissa," Company Vice-Chairman, Sanjeev Goenka, told reporters after the company's annual general meeting.

Of the Rs. 10,000 crore lined up for the State, Rs. 9,000 crore would be invested in setting up a 2,000 MW thermal power plant at Haldia in East Midnapore district, while the balance would be used to set up the 250 MW third unit of Budge-Budge plant in South 24 Parganas.

Hadia plant

The Hadia plant would come up in two phases on about 1,000 acre. Land for the first phase would be available in the next three months, he said. Coal linkages to Haldia is `moving fast' with the Chief Minister, Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, personally looking into the matter, he added.

Power generation from Haldia plant's first phase would be utilised to offset the 300-500 MW projected shortfall in the CESC command area, while that from the second phase would be used mainly for exports, he said.

The company is interested in setting up a `pit-head' generation station in Jharkhand, Mr. Goenka said adding that it would depend on the coal block allocated to it. — PTI

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