The 4,000 MW power project – Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (PVUNL) – a joint venture of the NTPC and the Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) formed after scrapping the old Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) will bring a revolutionary change in the power sector of Jharkhand, making it self sufficient in terms of power requirement.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the state-owned NTPC and the JBVNL, 85% of the power produced from PVUNL will be supplied to Jharkhand. The mega power plant conceived in 2016 will comprise five units of 800MW each and will be commissioned in two phases 2,400MWs (3x800MW) in the first phase and 1,600 MWs (2×800) in the second phase.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the first phase of the power project virtually on May 25, 2018. The 800MW unit in phase I was supposed to become functional by July 2022 but it has been delayed so far. PVUNL officials said if things continue to move in the right direction, the first unit will be functional by July this year. The officials said the project was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic for two years.
Initially, the rescheduled commissioning was fixed for July 2023 but later a fresh schedule of the first unit was fixed for July 2024. Sources said the handover of assets of the PTPS took a substantial amount of time, thus delaying the process.
Notably, the PTPS was set up by the undivided Bihar government with the help of Russia and the assets of PTPS were taken over by PVUNL on April 3, 2016, after an MoU between the NTPC and the Jharkhand government was signed on October 15, 2015. According to the reports published in energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com .
However, some of the assets were not handed over and the PTPS still owns the Patratu Dam. Neeraj Roy, the additional general manager (HR) of PVUNL, said the Jharkhand government would get 85% of power generated by PVUNL making the state’s share 3,400MW out of the total of 4,000MW. “Since the net requirement of the state is around the same value, the entire domestic demands would be met once both phases of
