Buxar Thermal Power Station

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Buxar Thermal Power Station is a power station in Chausa, Buxa, Bihar, India with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Buxar Thermal Power Station	Chausa, Buxa, Bihar, India	25.462349, 83.882568 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 25.462349, 83.882568

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year
Unit 1	construction	coal: unknown	660	supercritical	2025 (planned)
Unit 2	construction	coal: unknown	660	supercritical	2025 (planned)
Unit 3	pre-permit	coal: unknown	660	unknown	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Unit 1	SJVN Thermal Pvt Ltd [100%]	SJVN Ltd
Unit 2	SJVN Thermal Pvt Ltd [100%]	SJVN Ltd
Unit 3	SJVN Thermal Pvt Ltd [100%]	SJVN Ltd

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): Deocha Pachami coal block

Background

The Buxar Bijlee Company was formed by Bihar Power Infrastructure Company Ltd, as a joint venture between the government-owned Bihar State Electricity Board and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited IL&FS to process private sector bids to build the power station. In 2013, Buxar Bijlee Company was acquired by SJVN Limited.

SJVN Limited (SJVN) held a 100% stake in SJVN Thermal Private Limited (STPL).

The Buxar Thermal Power Station was one of three major power projects being promoted by the government of Bihar to supply more power for the state's electrical grid. BSEB stated that the project was scheduled to be commissioned in 2015-16.

On its website, the BSEB stated that the project would require 6.25 million tonnes of coal a year, with a source yet to be allocated. BSEB also stated that in September 2010, consent was given for the supply of 55 Cusec from the Ganga River.

A 2011 Asian Development Bank review of Bihar power projects stated that the project had "Survey –Completed".

On January 17, 2013, SJVN Limited signed an MoU with Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Limited & Bihar Power Infrastructure Company Limited for the take-over of Buxar Bijlee Company and development of the 1,320 MW Buxar plant.

In April 2016, SJVN Limited requested environmental clearance for the proposed coal plant.

In June 2016, SJVN Limited was issued a new terms of reference for the project.

In October 2016, the EIA for the project was submitted and in November the project was cleared by the MoEF for consideration of an Environmental Clearance.

Environmental clearance was granted on February 28, 2017. In November 2018, the Union Minister directed officials to expedite the plant's investment approval. Excavation work began in 2019.

In 2019, IEEFA described the describes the asset as "stranded due to promotor inexperience in thermal power, the high cost of new emissions-compliant coal plants, and the inability to find lenders whilst the banks are weighed down with nonperforming assets".

Construction began in October 2020. As of May 2022, commissioning was planned for end of 2023. However, construction work was reportedly "being disrupted by locals frequently. Deployment of CISF is required for uninterrupted construction activities of the project." The engineering, procurement, and construction contract was awarded to the Indian company Larsen & Toubro.

As of November 2022, commissioning was expected by January and April 2024.

In May 2023, the Broad Status report stated that the construction of Unit 1 was 80% complete and that of Unit 2 was 65% complete. The report maintained that Units 1 and 2 would be commissioned in January and April 2024, respectively.

The June 2023 Broad Status report exhibited delays in the planned commission dates for the two units, predicting that Units 1 and 2 would be commissioned in March 2024 and July 2024, respectively. This has been pushed back to July 2024 and October 2024, respectively, according to the November 2023 Broad Status report. Slow work progress was mentioned in Balance-of-Plant areas, switchyard and land acquisition for railway siding and water intake pipeline corridor. As per the April 2024 Broad Status report, Units 1 and 2 were expected to be commercially commissioned in October 2024 and January 2025 respectively. By October 2024, Units 1 and 2 were expected to begin commercial operation in February 2025 and July 2025.

Proposed expansion (1x660 MW)

In the October/November 2023 meeting minutes of the Expert Appraisal Committee, it was noted that the project owners had applied for Terms of Reference (ToR) for a 660 MW expansion to the power station, which would raise the station's total capacity from 1,320 MW to 1,980 MW. According to the meeting minutes, the committee deferred the proposal and requested that the company re-submit with improved plans for pollution management and several other environmental concerns.

In the February meeting minutes of the EAC, the committee recommended the grant of ToR for the expansion project. The expansion was formally accorded standard ToR by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on March 15, 2024.

PPA

As of 2021, the PPA was signed with North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL) and South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL), subsidiaries of Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited (BSPHCL, 85% allocated to Bihar discoms, 15% available with Ministry of Power, Government of India as unallocated quota) for a term of 25 years from start of commercial operations with tariff based on prevailing CERC regulations and will include capacity charge, energy charge, incentives, taxes, levies, etc. The PPA was originally signed with BSPHCL and subsequently assigned to NBPDCL and SBPDCL.

Impacts & Opposition

The project is located less than 0.5 km from the village of Banarpur, and is also within 1 km of other villages, including Chausa Gola, Khilaphatpur, and Nyaipur. According to the EIA, there are 257,103 people living within 10 km of the project, of whom 40.3% are categorized as Below Poverty Line.

In late 2022 and early 2023, farmers whose land was acquired for the plant were protesting outside the plant site seeking better compensation. One of the protesting farmers, Narendra Tiwari, told the police that a team from Mufassil police station came to his house around midnight on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, and started beating up his family members, including women. The police also arrested three persons from the house. The family later released a video of the incident which was widely circulated on social media. The police action angered the villagers who attacked the plant in January 2023 and torched about half-a-dozen vehicles, a cabin, and some machines.

Following local protests at the construction side, the May 2023 Broad Status report included the following note in the plant's 'Critical Issues': "Deployment of CISF needed for smooth construction works at project site." The CISF, or Central Industrial Security Force, is a para-military organization which enforces protection of public sector projects in India.

Coal block

In 2013, the India Ministry of Coal allocated Deocha Pachami coal block in West Bengal to SJVN for the power station. SJVN was also exploring imported coal.

In January 2015, SJVN signed a JV agreement with six state power generating companies belonging to West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for formation of a JV company for mining coal from Deocha Pachami-Dewanganj Horisingha Coal Block located in Birbhum district of West Bengal State. The coal mined from the block would feed to the project.

Financing

In November 2020, two Indian state-owned enterprises, Power Finance Corporation and Rural Electrification Corporation, Ltd., announced that they were providing Rs 85.2 billion in funding for the Buxar Thermal power station, equivalent to approximately US$1.14 billion. Financial close was reached on November 26, 2020. Power Finance Corporation and Rural Electrification Corporation, Ltd., will each cover half of the Rs 85.2 billion in loans.

In October 2022, it was reported that Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) signed a Memorandum of Loan Agreement (MoA) with SJVN Thermal Pvt Ltd (STPL) to finance the power station, even as its project cost had increased by at least Rs 1,733 crore in over three years. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the plant in March 9, 2019, the estimated cost of the project was Rs. 10,439.09 crore, which now has increased to Rs 12,172.74 crore with a debt requirement of Rs 8520.92 crore. (70% debt ratio). It appeared that 2020 arrangements were not final and financial closure was reached in October 2022.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.