Bhubaneswar: In an aim to ensure employment to people engaged in Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS), the state government Monday urged National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) authority to ensure continued function of Talcher plant till commissioning of the new unit.
Holding a meeting with NTPC chairman Gurdeep Singh through videoconferencing, Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra has put forth the proposal.
Mahapatra said functioning of the existing TTPS is necessity to provide livelihood to the people depending on the plant. The plant has been awarded at national level. Therefore, the plant can be renovated and made functional with investment of some funds, he suggested.
The Chief Secretary assured that the state government would extend all kinds of required support to run the TTPS. During the meeting, the NTPC chairman has informed that they are planning to set up one or two ultra mega power units at Talcher. The corporation will submit a detailed proposal to the state very soon, Singh said.
The high-level panel headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has recently approved NTPC’s proposal to set up a thermal power plant in the state with an investment of Rs 7,700 crore.
The state government has provided water, land and other infrastructure to the corporation for early commissioning of the unit, sources said.