By IANS
Raipur : Chhattisgarh will take its power generation capacity to a record 39,500 megawatt (MW) from its existing capacity of 1410.85 MW by the year 2012, official sources said Wednesday.
“The state will touch a record power generation of 39,500 MW by the end of year 2012 from the existing 1410.85 MW as the companies that have signed deals (with the government) will complete the thermal power plants installations within four years,” a top official source in the energy department told IANS.
“The government has signed separate deals with as many as 49 private power companies since Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in December 2003 for investments worth Rs.1.59 trillion ($40 billion),” the source stated.
This also includes 130.85 MW generated from hydropower, he said.
He added that all the investments would be made in state’s coal-rich northern region of Raigarh and Korba with a few units to come up in Surguja and Bilaspur districts as well.
Recently, as many as 16 private power companies signed separate memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with the government Feb 1 for setting up of thermal power plants at an investment of Rs.476 billion ($11 billion) to generate 11,730 MW of power.