Darlipali power station

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Darlipali power station is an operating power station of at least 1600-megawatts (MW) in Darlipali, Lephripara, Sundergarh, Odisha, India with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Darlipalli Super Thermal Power Station; Darlipali STPS.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Darlipali power station	Darlipali, Lephripara, Sundergarh, Odisha, India	21.963554, 83.89187 (exact)

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

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Phase I Unit 1, Phase I Unit 2, Phase II Unit 3, Phase II Unit 4, Phase II Unit 5, Phase II Unit 6: 21.963554, 83.89187

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year
Phase I Unit 1	operating	coal: unknown	800	supercritical	2019
Phase I Unit 2	operating	coal: unknown	800	supercritical	2021
Phase II Unit 3	pre-permit	coal: unknown	800	unknown	–
Phase II Unit 4	cancelled	coal: unknown	800	unknown	–
Phase II Unit 5	cancelled	coal: unknown	800	unknown	–
Phase II Unit 6	cancelled	coal: unknown	800	unknown	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Phase I Unit 1	NTPC Ltd [100%]	NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Phase I Unit 2	NTPC Ltd [100%]	NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Phase II Unit 3	NTPC Ltd [100%]	NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Phase II Unit 4	NTPC Ltd [100%]	NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Phase II Unit 5	NTPC Ltd [100%]	NTPC Ltd [100.0%]
Phase II Unit 6	NTPC Ltd [100%]	NTPC Ltd [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): Dulanga and Pakri Barwadih Coal Blocks

Background

In 2012, it was reported that the Odisha government may set up a special land acquisition cell to speed up takeover of private land for a 4,800 MW super thermal power plant proposed by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) at Darlipali in Sundergarh district. The 4,800 MW power plant would be commissioned in three phases of 1,600 MW (2x800) each. All the three phases were scheduled to be commissioned by the end of the 12th Plan period (2016-17).

In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly dedicated the Darlipali power station (presumably Phase I) to the nation of India.

Phase I

In September 2011, BGR Energy Systems announced that it had won the contract from NTPC to supply the supercritical steam turbine generator units for the project.

Phase I (2 x 800 MW) received environmental clearance in February 2014. The two units are under construction, and planned for operation in 2018. As of March 2017, commissioning was still scheduled for 2018-2019.

In January 2019, it was reported that unit 1 was planned for commissioning in March 2019.

Unit 1 became operational on December 31, 2019. Unit 2 was planned for operation in 2020.

Unit 2 was synchronized in March 2021. CEA reported the unit was commissioned in July 2021 and NTPC declared it was commissioned effective September 1, 2021.

Units 1 and 2 of the power station were reportedly "dedicate(d) to the nation" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024.

Phases II and III stalled

As of 2014, Phases II and III were delayed due to land acquisition problem, and NTPC had started looking for alternative sites outside the state.

The site has been the subject of various Forest Clearance proposals since at least 2011. Some early Forest Clearance application documents referenced Phases I and II for a total proposed project of 3,200 MW, indicating that Phase III plans were likely abandoned early on.

Phase II, Unit 3 revived

In January 2021, the Executive Director of the project said talks for setting up a third unit has "just begun." More land would be required in case it was decided to go for another unit, he added.

In November 2022, it was reported that NTPC was resolving forest land issues and that if those were "cleared early," work for the 800 MW expansion would be awarded by FY 2024.

In a Forest Clearance submission from November 2022 (FP/OR/THE/406244/2022), the proposal explained: "Considering the recent power demand trends and retirement of older units (sub-critical) in response to emission norms dated: 07.12.2015& Govt. policy regarding retirement of less efficient older units, the proposal for setting up unit of 800 MW (Ultra-super critical) would help in reducing the generation of greenhouse gases by adopting relatively high efficiency technologies. (...) PPA was already signed for earlier envisaged Stg-II (2x800 MW) along with Stg-I PPA. Re-consent to be obtained & supplementary PPA to be signed with beneficiaries of Eastern Region/ other region(s) for allocation of power from this project."

Terms of Reference for conducting EIA study was submitted in February and granted in April 2023. The minutes of the EAC committee from March 2023 noted several additional amendments to the ToR. The committee also noted that Coal linkage is yet to be established and that 159.91 Ha of land is required for construction out of which 54.863 Ha is forest land. The committee suggested the project proponent to reduce the ash pond area and remove the forest area from layout toward downward side. The EAC also noted that the site selected for ash disposal is not suitable and an alternate site should be selected.

The status of the project was therefore revised to pre-permit as of May 2023. In September 2023, the expansion proposal was accepted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change and referred to the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC). However, in late September 2023, the expansion's TOR were revisited for amendment in the Expert Appraisal Committee's meeting minutes. During the meeting, the EAC agreed to TOR amendments which would ease certain ash management and disposal stipulations, on the condition that the following new Terms of Reference be adopted:

"1. Action plan for development of a dense green barrier between boundary of proposed ash dyke and Basudhara River.
2. The action plan for conducting stability analysis (yearly) study shall be submitted after vetting through reputed expert Government Institute.
3. Time bound action plan for development of green belt around ash dykes including existing ash dykes shall be submitted.
4. hydrology study of river and area and assessment of impacts on the river hydrology patterns after establishment of existing plant shall be submitted.
5. Explore the possibilities for reducing the Forest area involved in the proposed expansion."

The updated TOR were granted in November 2023.

Financing

Phase 1: In January 2014, the NTPC Board of Directors approved an investment of US$1,699,065,518 in the project. Plans to obtain the loan from JBIC did not materialize and the loan proposal was withdrawn, as of 2019. As there is no other information available on the financing of the plant, it appeared that it was funded by NTPC.

Phase 2 (Unit 3): In September 2024, the board of NTPC has approved investment for the Phase 2 with an estimated cost of ₹11,130.98 crore. There was no mention of debt financing.

Opposition

In 2012, it was reported that villagers held a protest meeting seeking cancellation of the project. Other villagers were reported to be eager for the plant to be built but wanted land compensation rates to be increased.

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.