Essar Power Hazira commissions second unit of 135 MW

05 December 2016

Essar Power Hazira Ltd, a subsidiary of Essar Power Ltd, on Wednesday, announced successful commissioning of the second unit of its 2×135 megawatt power project at Hazira in Gujarat.

Completed in a record 53 days—from IBR Hydrotest to final synchronisation—it is among the swiftest commissioning for a unit of this size. The first unit was commissioned in July 2015, the company said in a statement here.

With this, the 270 MW multi-fuel power plant, which is 100% captive to Essar Steel Hazira, is now fully operational. The plant can run on multiple fuels, like coal (both domestic and imported) and corex gas, simultaneously. The commissioning will bring down the power procurement cost of Essar Steel and also assure reliability and flexibility in steelmaking operations.

Close to 80 % of Essar Power’s targeted capacity of 6,100 MW, which comprises both captive and IPP assets, are now operational. Five of the plants in the company’s portfolio were PAT-positive in FY2015-16.

KVB Reddy, CEO, Essar Power, said that, over the last two years, increased coal availability, both from domestic and overseas suppliers, as well as the strong operational efficiencies harnessed by Essar Power have helped improve performance significantly.

Essar Power Ltd is among the largest private sector power producers with over 20 years’ operating track record. It owns power plants in India and Canada with a total generation capacity of 6,100 MW, of which 4,840 MW is operational. Of this, 3,240 MW is coal-based, while 1,600 MW is gas-based. The operating plants in India are located in Mahan, Chhatisgarh, and Hazira, Salaya and Vadinar, in Gujarat.

Source – The Hindu