Govt to invite bids for two mega power projs by Jan

NEW DELHI: The government today said it would invite bids for two ultra mega power projects in Orissa and Tamil Nadu by next month.

"Four UMPPs (ultra mega power projects) have been awarded, two more are in the pipeline...one in Orissa and another one in Tamil Nadu," Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters here.

"By January 15 the Request For Qualifications for two UMPPs in Orissa and Tamil Nadu would be issued," Power Secretary H S Brahma said.

Meanwhile, the minister also said that the empowered Group of Ministers (eGOM) on the UMPPs would meet shortly to decide the future course of action. "The eGOM would meet shortly," Shinde added.

Power Ministry has planned to set nine such projects, out of which four have already been awarded. Reliance Power has bagged three UMPPs in Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Sasan (Madhya Pradesh) and Tilaiya (Jharkhand).

The fourth project at Mundra in Gujarat is being developed by Tata Power and its first 800 MW unit would come up by the end of the current plan period (2007-12).

Power Ministry plans to add 78,000 MW of power during the current XIth Five Year Plan and is likely to aim for 1,00,000 MW in the XIIth Five Year Plan Period (2012-17) of which the major chunk would come from these UMPPs.