Suzlon, RRB Energy in race for Nalco's Rs 300 cr project

NEW DELHI: Wind power majors Suzlon and RRB Energy are in the race to bag an estimated Rs 300-crore project of state-owned Nalco, a senior official of the aluminium PSU said on Sunday.

"Suzlon and RRB Energy have bid for the project. One of the companies will be shortlisted by the middle of December," Nalco Director, Finance, BL Bagra said.

Looking at diversification into the power space, Nalco had invited bids last month for construction of a 50 MW power plant which entails estimated investment of Rs 300 crore.

"The plant may come up in Tamil Nadu. It will be a built-operate-transfer (BoT) contract. The shortlisted entity will decide on location, land, among others. We are still evaluating the bids," Bagra said, adding that the plant is likely to come up next fiscal-end.

Nalco CMD A K Shrivastava had earlier said that the company has also firmed up plans for a Rs 12,600-crore nuclear power plant in a tie-up with Nuclear Power Corporation of India in Surat in Gujarat.

The proposed project will have an annual capacity of 1,400 MW. Two separate units of 700 MW each are likely.

At present, Nalo operates 1,200 MW coal-based power unit at its existing aluminium operations in Orissa.

Also, Nalco is planning to set up a super critical thermal power plant of 1,980-MW capacity (3X660-MW) in Dhenkanal district of Orissa.