NTPC mulls setting up green energy park in AP

• The park will come up at Pudimadaka in Anakapalle district

• Earlier the site was allotted to NTPC Ltd for setting up of 4,000 MW power plant

• The project was shelved in 2018 as Centre decided to minimise coal imports

• The park proposal is found viable following a visit by top officials from Australian firm

• The project will be implemented in two phases with 2027 as deadline

• It has a potential to create 61,000 jobs when fully operational

Visakhapatnam: At one point of time the site at Pudimadaka was allotted to NTPC Ltd for setting up of ultra modern 4,000 MW power plant. Now dropping of the project after holding public hearing has given a shot in the arm to Andhra Pradesh Government's efforts to promote green energy as the power major wants to set up a hydrogen ecosystem park with a massive investment of Rs 1.10 lakh crore.

The park will come up at Pudimadaka in Anakapalle district, about 50 km from here where the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) had earlier allotted 1,200 acres on payment of Rs 700 crore for establishing an ultra modern coal-fired power plant.

There was uncertainty at one point of time with NTPC trying to surrender the land. The government also had toyed with the idea to set up a steel cluster.

The ultra modern power plant project was shelved in 2018 after finding that it was not viable following the government decision not to allow power plants designed solely with dependence on imported coal. Due to significant increase in domestic coal production, the Centre resolved to discourage imports.

The park proposal was approved by State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB), which met at Amaravati under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday. An official of NTPC told Bizz Buzz that the latest project has been found viable following a visit by top officials from Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), green energy arm of Fortescue Group of Australia to Pudimadaka in September last year. The Australian firm specialises in production of green hydrogen with 100 per cent renewable sources and operates in over 25 countries.

The State Government said the project will be implemented in two phases with 2027 as deadline for completion with a potential to create 61,000 jobs when it becomes fully operational.

The FFI team which interacted with the top brass of NTPC included Allard Nooy, Malcolm Brailey and Jeffrey Pearman from Fortescue Future Industries.

It may be recalled that in 2014 AP Government had allotted 1,200 acres of land at Pudimadaka to NTPC for establishing 4000 MW thermal power plant. In March, 2018, the Central Government had taken a decision to minimise coal imports as the domestic coal reserves were available in plenty. Subsequently, in June same year NTPC said it had decided not to move forward with the plant as the project was deemed "unviable."

NTPC owns 2000 MW thermal power plant at Parawada in the close vicinity of Pudimadaka from where it supplies power to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.