Telangana’s 4,000 MW Yadadri Power Plant to be fully commissioned by January 2025: Dy CM Bhatti

Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri: The entire 4,000 MW Yadadri Thermal Power Plant is slated for dedication to the nation in January next year, announced deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu on Friday.

Speaking at the dedication of the plant’s first 800 MW unit, he hailed it as a ‘historic milestone’ in addressing Telangana’s energy demands.

Environmental clearances achieved

Deputy CM Mallu revealed that delays in securing environmental clearances during the previous government’s tenure caused an almost two-year setback in the project’s execution and significantly escalated costs.

He highlighted the swift action of the current Congress government, which managed to obtain these crucial environmental clearances within just two months of assuming power.

“Two units, with a combined capacity of 1,600 MW, have already been dedicated to the nation,” the deputy CM stated, emphasising that monthly and weekly targets were meticulously set to ensure the project’s rapid progress.

He acknowledged the crucial cooperation of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, and local public representatives in achieving these targets.

Helping locals benefit from energy plant

Mallu commended the collective dedication of all personnel, from ground-level workers to Chief Engineers, for bringing the Yadadri plant close to completion.

He assured employees that, despite the plant’s remote location, world-class educational institutions and corporate-level healthcare facilities would be established in the township.

Furthermore, free access to education and healthcare, on par with that provided to plant employees, would be extended to the surrounding local communities.

Ambulances will also be provided to nearby constituencies, and various welfare activities will be initiated to ensure direct benefits for locals from the plant’s presence.

Deputy CM promises jobs at plant

Addressing concerns about road damage due to heavy vehicle movement, the deputy CM informed that a significant number of CC roads have already been sanctioned and work has commenced.

In a key announcement, the deputy CM assured that all individuals who surrendered land for both the Yadadri Thermal and Pulichintala projects would be provided jobs by August 15, and their promised Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) packages would be fully implemented. He also criticised the previous government for failing to fulfil its promises of local employment.

Yadadri Thermal Power Plant

- It is the second-largest thermal power project in South India and the largest thermal power project in India to be constructed at a single location under state government ownership.

- The foundation stone for the project was laid on June 8, 2015, by former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao. The plant was initially named Damaracharla Thermal Power Plant and later rechristened as Yadadri.

- The project received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in June 2017. However, there were delays in obtaining environmental clearances during the previous government's tenure, which caused a nearly two-year delay in project execution.

- The plant is designed to use a blend of indigenous coal (50% from Singareni Collieries Company Limited) and imported coal (50%).

- The initial estimated cost was around Rs 25,099 crores (US$3.8 billion), which later surged to Rs 36,132 crore due to delays.