Power Plants in Nellore

Nellore sits on ecological time bomb

As many as 21 coal-based thermal power projects with a combined capacity of 21,284MW are coming up close to the Krishnapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district, in what is considered to be the biggest ever ecological disaster in the making.The plants are coming up within a 5km radius of the port, threatening to turn the area into the most polluted zone in the country. Going by environmentalists and energy sector experts, once the projects are completed it is going to be the country's worstever environmental disaster. "It is nothing but environmental vandalism of the worst kind, many more times dangerous than the Vedanta project of Orissa and far exceeding the Bhopal gas tragedy," says former Union power secretary and energy sector expert EAS Sarma.

In a letter to Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday, Sarma expressed concern over the clearances being given to these projects one after the other without looking at the combined impact of all the projects taken together. "The residents of Nellore, especially those who reside in this area, are apprehensive about the impact of these projects on their land, water, health and their livelihood," he said. Sources in the state energy department said the environmental impact assessment for seven power projects with a combined capacity of 10,300MW has already been done and work initiated on the projects. Proposals for another 14 projects are awaiting clearance of the environmental appraisal committee of the environmental ministry.

The projects that have got clearance are: Krishnapatnam thermal power project (1,600MW) of the state- owned AP Power Generation Corporation, Nelcast Energy (,320MW), Kineta Power (1,980MW), Krishnapatnam Power Corporation Ltd (1,980MW), Meenakshi Energy Private Ltd (900MW), Thermal Powertech Corporation (1,980MW) and Simhapuri Energy Private Ltd ( 540MW).

The other projects in the pipeline are: Coastal Andhra Power Corporation (a unit of Reliance Energy) (4,000 MW), Vikas Power (540MW), Meenakshi Energy Phase-II (300MW), Navayuga Krishnapatnam Power Corporation ( 1,320MW), Lanco Power ( 1,000MW), Leather Park Power ( 500MW), Mahaveer Power Phase I ( 454MW), Mahaveer Power Phase-II (500MW), Dr Ramakrishna Rao power project ( 100MW), Sivaswamy Construction Private Ltd ( 1,200MW), Pradesa Power Private Ltd ( 2,640MW), Ramakrishna Prasad Power Ltd ( 420MW), Sowmya Energy Private Ltd ( 100MW) and VSR Powertech ( 530MW).

Sarma said only two other areas in the country - Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and Siddhi in Madhya Pradesh - have such a large number of power projects closely located. "But in terms of capacity and proximity, the Krishnapatnam power project complex would be the biggest in the country," he said.

The total land required for these projects is about 17,540 acres. "Almost all the power projects have got the land allotment. Some of them bought land directly from the local farmers; others were made land allotments by the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) in the last couple of years. The government is also making arrangements for supply of required quantity of water for these projects.

Project work is in full swing," sources in the department said. Environmentalists and local politicians have already started raising a hue and cry over the establishment of so many coalbased power projects within a short range. "Except that of AP Genco, all the other projects are merchant power plants. Under the Energy Act 2003, these merchant power plants can sell their power anywhere in the country and not necessarily to the state-owned power utilities.

As such, these plants are of no use for the state," energy sector expert M. Venugopal Rao said.

Sarma explained how these projects are going to be environmentally disastrous. "This kind of coal- based electricity generation will involve the burning of 3,17,800 tonnes of coal and dumping of 1,33,450 tonnes of toxic fly ash daily. About 2,100 tonnes of sulphur would enter the environment everyday," he pointed out.