In a significant development, the engineers of Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (TS-Genco) have taken up boiler light up and auxiliary boiler light-up of Unit-I and II of the 5×800 megawatt Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS) near Veerlapalem in Damaracharla mandal of Nalgonda district on Tuesday.
The boiler light up will set in motion the process of commencement of power generation in the plant first on an experimental basis and later on a commercial basis. As per the revised environmental clearance granted to the project in April first week, the first two units are scheduled to be commissioned on October 15 this year.
The EC given to the project in June 2017 was suspended by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in September 2022 following the change in utilisation of coal from the initial blend of 50% each imported and indigenous coal to 100% indigenous coal and a complaint lodged by an NGO on the change of use in coal and its impact on the local environment. The NGT had had ordered fresh public hearing and appraisal of the project proposal.
Work on the project was also impacted badly in the two waves of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 leading to escalation in the project cost from ₹29,966 crore to ₹34,543 crore. After the change of government in the State, the efforts to secure fresh EC were stepped up and the nod was given in April first week this year.
The requirement of coal is estimated at 13.48 million tonner per annum at 85% plant load factor and the entire coal is to be supplied by the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd. Initially, the five units of the project were scheduled to be commissioned between June 2020 to January 2022 and later from October 2021 to October 2022.
The commissioning of units was revised again to December 2023-April 2025 period and finally to October 24-February 2025 period. Telangana State Power Engineers Association president P. Rathnakar Rao and secretary general P. Sadanandam termed the light up of the boiler of Unit-I and II of YTPS as a ‘milestone’ event in the State’s energy sector progress.
