First Unit of 1200 MW Power Plant Handed Over to Balco

The first unit of the 1200 MW Power Plant established by Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (Balco) has been handed over by Sepco to Balco Management for operation. In a ceremony organised at the control room of 1200 MW Power Plant recently in the presence of Mr. Ramesh Nair, CEO & Whole Time Director, Balco , Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Head- 1200 MW(Operation), Balco and Mr. Lu Fujan of Sepco, there was an exchange of documents between Balco and Sepco to mark the handover of the Unit to Balco for operation. Mr. Nair congratulated Balco and Sepco for this important achievement and also gave his good wishes.

Mr. Sharma shared that handing over of Unit 1 of the new 1200 MW Power Plant to Balco Management was an important opportunity. Sepco had started the Reliability Run Test (R.R.T.) on the 3rd July 2015. The plant was run with average load continuously till the 16th July and no abnormality was noticed in its running. Due to smooth running and achievement of all set operational parameters over a fortnight, Sepco handed over the Unit to Balco Management for operation. Mr. Sharma also shared that as a result of the commencement of the first unit of the 1200 MW Power Project, Balco’s dependence on external sources for power would stop.

He further added that work would be started shortly for the remaining three units of the 1200 MW Power Plant so as to make them fully operational. This would be done in a systematic well planned way. After full requirement of coal is met and on attaining the set standards of operation, all the units of the 1200 MW Power Plant would become fully operational in 6 months. The occasion also saw the presence of Mr. Rajiv Pal, GM-Projects, Mr. Ashish Dhancholia, GM-540 MW, Mr. Ajay Pandey, AGM-1200 MW (Operations), Mr. Debashish Bhrahma, AGM, Mr. Albert, Mr Yashwant Kaurav, Mr. Annirudh Pratap Singh, Manager and a lot of officers and workers of Balco and Sepco.

Sepco’s Vice President, Mr. Lu Fujan expressed his joy over the handing over of the Power Plant’s first Unit to Balco for operation. Balco’s young enthusiastic team needs to be credited for its important role in making the first unit of the Power Plant ready for operations.

A glimpse at 1200 MW Power Project:

Balco’s 1200 MW has been established with the help of Shandong Electric Power Corporation (Sepco), a renowned company of China in the power sector. Vedanta Group of which Balco is a part, has invested nearly Rs. 5000 crores in the Power Project. Balco had received the ‘Consent to Operate’ on the 15th January 2015 from the Chhattishgarh Government. Every individual unit of the project has a capacity of 300 MW. As a result of the new 1200 MW Power Project, Balco will be able to enhance its Aluminium Production capacity from 3.50 lakh tonnes  per annum at present to 5.70 lakh tonnes per annum. This will propel Chhattisgarh to the position of becoming the third largest manufacturing state for Aluminium in the country. Once the new smelters are operational, nearly 25% of the Country’s aluminium will start to get produced in Chhattisgarh.

Balco already has a 270 MW and a 540 MW Power Plant. Once the Power Plant and the Smelters are fully operational, the State Government will start receiving nearly Rs. 250 crores as revenue per annum. The downstream industries are expected to grow by nearly four times due to the increase in Balco’s Aluminium and Power manufacturing capacity. This will also increase employment. Along with increase in production capacities, Balco will also play its role in community development work in a more stronger way.

About Vedanta Limited

Vedanta Limited (Vedanta Ltd) is a diversified natural resources company, whose business primarily involves exploring and processing minerals and oil & gas. The Company produces oil & gas, zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron ore, aluminium and commercial power and has a presence across India, South Africa, Namibia, Ireland, Australia, Liberia and Sri Lanka.

Vedanta Ltd, formerly Sesa Sterlite Limited, is the Indian subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc, a London-listed company. Sustainable Development is at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities. Vedanta Ltd is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

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