JSW Utkal Steel power station

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JSW Utkal Steel power station is a permitted power station in Paradeep, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha, India.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
JSW Utkal Steel power station	Paradeep, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha, India	20.217, 86.554 (approximate)

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

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Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology
Unit 1	permitted	coal: unknown, fossil gas: unknown	300	unknown
Unit 2	permitted	coal: unknown, fossil gas: unknown	300	unknown
Unit 3	permitted	coal: unknown, fossil gas: unknown	300	unknown

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Unit 1	JSW Utkal Steel Ltd [100%]	JSW Steel Ltd [100.0%]
Unit 2	JSW Utkal Steel Ltd [100%]	JSW Steel Ltd [100.0%]
Unit 3	JSW Utkal Steel Ltd [100%]	JSW Steel Ltd [100.0%]

Project-level captive use details

• Captive industry use (heat or power): power
• Captive industry: Iron & Steel

Project-level coal details

• Permit(s): Environmental Clearance; National Green Tribunal Order: 2023-03; Environmental Clearance Recommended: 2023-08

Background

JSW Utkal Steel Limited (JUSL) was formed to set up an integrated steel plant of 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) crude steel capacity and a 900 MW captive power plant in Odisha.

In April 2022, JUSL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JSW Steel, received the environmental clearance (EC) from the Union Ministry of Environment & Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

The project's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) noted the captive power would be "By-product gas and coal based" and involve 3 x 300 MW.

In August 2022, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) admitted an appeal against the Environmental Clearance.

In March 2023, it was reported that India's National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended the combined EC granted for the steel plant together with the power plant. The media article went on to say that the EC will remain suspended for 3 months while the EAC committee performs a renewed assessment of the project.

In August 2023 (see agenda item 41.14.39), after numerous EAC assessments and meetings revisiting the EC of the steel plant and power plant, the EAC recommended EC with several "additional safeguards and mitigation measures." The additional environmental stipulations pertained to the plants' water usage, pollutant emissions, and the implementation of a "decarbonization program."

The power station did not appear in the November 2023 Broad Status report of under-construction thermal power projects in India.

Reporting in January 2024 announced that JSW Utkal Steel had acquired a total of 2,950.31 acres of land to develop the greenfield steel plant and captive power plant.

Opposition

The project has faced significant opposition, including from the Delhi Solidarity Group and Friends of the Earth India. In addition, it was demonstrated the steel plant would have significant health impacts.

In April 2022, Prafulla Samantara, an activist based in Odisha, warned that India’s push for new steel represented everything askew with developmental ambitions.

The NGT’s suspension of EC was in response to a batch of appeals. The land for project was earlier the proposed site for a project by POSCO, a South Korean steel major. The decade-long protest by communities led to POSCO withdrawing in 2017. However, the Odisha government did not return the 1,253 hectares acquired, instead handed 1,083 hectares over to JSW Utkal, a company which proposed a project including a 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant with a 10 MTPA cement grinding unit and a 900MW captive power plant, along with an all-weather captive jetty with a capacity of 52 MTPA.

Protests have been ongoing in Jagatsinghpur district in Odisha, since December 2021, when the administration moved in to demolish the betel vines and take over the village land. The affected communities obtained some relief through this court order declared on March 20, 2023; and another order on March 24 from the Odisha High Court, staying land acquisition till the forest rights issue has been resolved.

In October 2023, charges against community protesters were dropped following state and police repression, causing protesters to leave their homes and hide in the forest for fear of further state-enforced repression.

Financing

JSW Steel said that the they will invest Rs 65,000 (ca USD 7.8 billion) in the whole project, including the power plant.

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.