Gujarat govt’s GMDC plans to set up two power plants in Odisha, energy minister tells state Assembly – EQ Mag

Gandhinagar : The state-run Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) is planning to set up two power generation plants in Odisha where the company has recently bagged two coal blocks in auction, state energy minister Kanubhai Desai told the Assembly on Monday.

He was speaking on a discussion in the House on the budgetary demands of his department.

“GMDC has won bids for two coal mines in Odisha this year. We are planning to set up two new power plants near these mines,” he said.

Earlier, the state government’s PSU had said it won the bids for Burapahar block having a geological reserve of 548 million tonnes (MT) and the Baitarani (West) block having geological reserve of 1,152 MT.

GMDC has five operational lignite mines located in Kutch, South Gujarat, and the Bhavnagar region, as well as a lignite-based thermal power plant in Lakhpat taluka in Kutch district.

Desai also informed the House the work on the world’s largest hybrid renewable energy park near Khavda village in Kutch district is currently underway and will be fully operational by the end of 2026.

The 30,000 MW hybrid renewable energy park will have both windmills and solar panels, Desai said, adding Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for this hybrid park in December 2020.

“The state government has allocated nearly 72,000 hectares of land for the project. While 30 kilometres of approach roads were already constructed, the work to develop other infrastructure is currently underway. The project will be fully operational by December 2026 and the is expected to attract investment of Rs 1,30,000 crore,” Desai told the Assembly.

Three major solar parks in Gujarat – Charanka in Patan, Radha Nesda in Banaskantha and Dholera in Ahmedabad – have generated nearly 4,300 million units of green electricity during 2021 and 2022, he added.

Source: PTI