660 MW thermal power plant commissioned in Meja

ALLAHABAD: A 660 MW supercritical thermal power plant was successfully commissioned by Meja Urja Nigam, a joint venture of the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) and Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUN), in the trans-Yamuna area of Meja in Allahabad on Saturday.

There are two supercritical units with a capacity to generate 660 MW of power. On Saturday, one of these units was connected to the state power grid.

A total of 15.84 million units will be generated per day through the first unit of the power plant.

Chief executive officer of Meja Urja Nigam, Rakesh Samuel said, “As per the understanding

Three rake loads of coal are being brought in weekly from Bilaspur to the Naini Yard. From there, the fuel is carried to the coal handling plant of the Meja thermal power plant RAKESH SAMUEL, Chief executive officer of Meja Urja Nigam

with the NTPC, 75 per cent of power is being supplied to UP. The state government has shown interest in taking another 25 per cent of the power generated.”

The coal required for the plant will be brought from South Eastern Coalfields Limited.

“Three rake loads of coal are being brought in weekly from Bilaspur to the Naini Yard. From there, the fuel is carried to the coal handling plant of the Meja thermal power plant,” he added.

The construction of this power plant was announced in 2007 when Mulayam Singh Yadav was the UP chief minister. The land acquisition started in 2008 when BSP president Mayawati was the chief minister.

However owing to protests from farmers, the land acquisition work could be completed only by 2012 with 2764 acres of land in various villages including Mai Khurd, Mai Kala, Patai, Ghisauta, Salaiyya Khurd, Salaiyya Kala and Kohdar being acquired for the project. Around 70 per cent of the land belonged to Gram Sabhas.

Regular construction work started in 2013 and got completed in 2017 with a cost of Rs 11,000 crore.