Udupi power station

Udupi power station is a 1200 megawatt power station built by Lanco and owned by Udupi Power Corporation Ltd. (UPCL). The power station, which is based on imported coal, is in Udupi District of Karnataka State in the Coastal Region of India.

Location
The plant is located at Kolachurur, Yelluru village, Udupi district, Karnataka state. The location is north of State Highway 1, west of Padubidri.

Background
The configuration of the plant is as follows:
 * Unit 1 - 600 MW - 2010
 * Unit 2 - 600 MW - 2011
 * Unit 3 - 660 MW - abandoned
 * Unit 4 - 660 MW - abandoned

According to the India Central Electricity Authority, the second unit of the plant was given an augmented capacity of 600 MW (original capacity was 507.5 MW) that was commissioned on April 16, 2011.

The company applied for coal for units 3 & 4, each 660 MW. The company received Terms of Reference for the project on August 11, 2010. But no further permits have been sought.

June 2011: Protesters block railway to protest coal transportation to Udupi power station
On June 1, 2011, activists with the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) blocked the Mangalore-Mumbai Matsyagandha Express train for 10 minutes in Nandikoor, Karnataka. The purpose of the protest was to show opposition to the transportation of coal by railway from the New Mangalore Port to the Udupi station. According to the activists, a condition for the environmental clearance granted to the plant was that coal would be transported through a closed conveyer system. Transportation in open railroad cars was producing damage to crops, agricultural land, drinking water, and public health, according to the activists. Local resident Sundari Shetti complained, “The house is always coated with a thick layer of ash. I have difficulty in breathing and the constant drone of Lorries transporting fly ash way into the midnight has affected my health.” Village panchayat president Sunil Raj Shetty said that no permission had been sought from the local administration before giving the ash pond the green signal. He said, “It used to be a fresh water lake - the Daddikere Lake.”

Project details for 1320 MW expansion (Units 3 and 4)
Sponsor: Udupi Power Corporation Location: Padubidri Industrial Area, Yelluru, Santuru, Tenka & Bada villages, Udupi district, Karnataka Coordinates: 13.1596, 74.8002 Status: Abandoned (company received TOR in 2010 but has not pursued an Environmental Clearance) Nameplate capacity: 2 x 660 MW Type: Supercritical Projected in service: Coal Type: Coal Source: Estimated annual CO2: Source of financing:

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External Articles

 * Garima Goel, "Part 1: The arrogant neighbor," The Manipal Journal, March 22, 2011
 * Garima Goel, "Part 2: One step forward and two steps back," The Manipal Journal, April 4, 2011