DIBRUGARH, Jan 30 (PTI): The Assam government on Monday said it will acquire a 20 per cent stake in UP’s Ghatampur power project, the first such investment by the northeastern state outside its territory, with a view to meet the growing power demand.
The deal is expected to be finalised on Tuesday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after a cabinet meeting here.
“The cabinet today approved investment in the Ghatampur power project in UP. We will be buying 20 per cent shares, with an investment of about Rs 100 crore, and will be entitled to 400-MW power from the project,” he said.
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The Ghatampur thermal plant is a 1,980-MW coal-fired power project under construction at Ghatampur in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
He said the shares will be transferred to Assam from the UP government’s quota.
“We don’t have any additional means to generate power in our own state, barring those already explored. We had been looking at making this investment, and this is the first such venture,” Sarma said.
He said the state’s power demand has increased from 1,900 MW per day in 2021 to 2,400 MW in 2022, and it is projected to rise drastically within the next few years.
“We are currently buying power at the rate of Rs 12 per unit from the national grid, while the consumers are paying Rs 4 per unit. Eventually, the state exchequer has to bear the burden and over time, the rates for consumers also have to be hiked.
“Hence, we were exploring means for investing outside the state. We have written to Coal India and the UP government, and are hopeful that our request to the mining behemoth will also be met,” Sarma said.
