Sundargarh Ultra Mega Power Project

Sundargarh Ultra Mega Power Project is one of nine Ultra Mega Power Projects proposed by the government of India as part of a strategy to add an additional 100,000 megawatts of generation capacity by 2017.

Location
The project is planned for Bhedabahal village, Sundergarh district, Orissa. The map shows the location of Bhedabahal but not the exact location of the project:

Background
The 4,000 megawatt project is in the state of Orissa.

Twenty power companies, including Tata Power, NTPC and Lanco, have submitted bids for the 4,000 MW ultra mega power project (UMPP) in Orissa and are believed to have qualified for the second round, which starts in October 2011. The plant is supposed to be online by 2013. Ultimately the project was awarded to NTPC.

Coal blocks
On June 29, 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Forests gave approval to three proposed plants in Orissa and cleared six coal blocks related to the plants. Three coal-blocks (Meenakshi-A, Meenakshi-B and Meenakshi Dipside) were allocated to the Sundargarh UMPP. Five of the six coal blocks were in areas the Environment Ministry had previously defined as no go areas for mining in 2010, including Dulanga, as those areas had over 30 per cent gross forest cover. The actual mining process can begin only once the companies receive the final approval of a panel set up to assess projects in forest areas.

Citizen Action
On September 21, 2011, civil society groups said the Orissa government should conduct a fresh study on thermal power plants in the state, a day after the National Green Tribunal recommended in-depth research on the impact of radiation from a plant at Koradi in Maharashtra. Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) convenor Ranjan Panda said: "all under construction thermal power plants [should] stop work before such impacts assessments are done and ask for fresh environment impact assessment studies and public hearings for these plants in line with the latest judgment."

Project Details
Sponsor: Government of India Location: Bhedabahal village, Sundergarh District, Orissa Coordinates: 22.040484, 84.032603 (location of Bhedabahal but not the exact location of the project) Status: Proposed Nameplate capacity: 4,000 MW Type: Projected in service: 2017 Coal Type: Coal Source: Estimated annual CO2: Source of financing:

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