No gas leaves GSPC power plant idle
GSPC finished commissioning the first 702.86-MW phase of its 2100-MW gas-fired Pipavav power station in Gujarat earlier this month (March).
But it isn't celebrating because there's no cheap domestic gas available to run the station, which means it joins a list of about a dozen or more stranded power projects in the state. Unit-1 of Pipavav achieved its full 351.43-MW load after commissioning began on February 5, consuming 2.58m cubic metres of R-LNG supplied by GSPC.
Commissioning took 30 to 35 days. Unit-2 of the same capacity achieved full load in March last year.
“Technically the first phase is ready to generate power,” a GSPC source tells us. “But where is the gas” GSPC has written letters to the power ministry demanding a firm allocation of at least 3.66m cm/d of gas, but still awaits a reply.
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Pipavav almost seven years ago on October 8, 2007.
