Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project

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Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project is a cancelled power station in Krishnapatnam, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project Krishnapatnam, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India 14.252061, 80.120748 (exact)

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

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Units 1-6: 14.252061, 80.120748

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology
Units 1-6 cancelled coal: unknown 4000 supercritical

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
Units 1-6 Coastal Andhra Power Ltd [100%] Reliance Power Ltd [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

  • Coal source(s): imported

Financing

Source of financing: The Krishnapatnam power project achieved financial closure in July 2009. The lenders for the project are a consortium of 12 banks lead by IDBI Bank. The lending was done on a project finance basis for an estimated project cost of around Rs. 17,450 crs (US$ 4 billion) with a debt-equity ratio of 75:25.[1]

Background

Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project is one of nine Ultra Mega Power Projects proposed by the government of India as part of a strategy to add an additional 100,000 megawatts of generation capacity by 2017. The 4,000 megawatt project is in the state of Andhra Pradesh and is being developed by Reliance Power.[2][3]

The Krishnapatnam project is one of the four Ultra Mega Power Projects in India awarded as of July 2011. Of these, three are being executed by Reliance Power.[4]

In June 2011, Reliance Power stopped work at its Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project, citing a hike in the cost of Indonesian coal that the project is to run on. Reliance Power claims that the new Indonesian Coal Price Regulation will push up the coal cost, and the company will not be able to meet the conditions set by the lenders, affecting its ability to meet the project cash flow requirements. The stoppage comes even as work on the associated infrastructure for the project is ongoing, including Power Grid Corporation's transmission link (Krishnapatnam-Nellore line for start-up power) that is scheduled to come up by November 2012.[4]

In August 2014, Reliance Power approached the Andhra Pradesh government with a proposal to revive the project. Under the proposal, APSPDCL would withdraw its termination notices and Reliance Power would drop the cases it had filed against APSPDCL in the Delhi High Court.[5]

As of January 2015 the legal status of the project is being determined.[6]

In January 2016 Reliance Power said the Krishnapatnam UMPP could not be taken forward due to escalated coal cost from Indonesia. The AP energy minister said if the central government allots domestic coal, then the project can become viable. Reliance also pulled out of the Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Project in April 2015, saying it could not get the needed land.[7]

In September 2018 Reliance Power asked the Andhra Pradesh government to cancel the power purchase agreement (PPA) for the plant. A senior government official said Reliance Power is willing to surrender its 2,600 acres of land in lieu of which the company wants its bank guarantees back and also revoke liquidated damages besides land cost of Rs 226 crore. The government has yet to take a decision on the issue.[8]

Carbon credits

As of July 2011, five "high-efficiency" coal power plants, including Krishnapatnam, were registered under the UN's Clean Development Mechanism -- four in India and one in China -- meaning they are all eligible to earn certified emissions reductions (CERs) that they can sell. The five registered power projects involve two from Reliance Power totalling 8,000 MW, two projects totalling 2,640 MW from Adani Power and a 2,000 MW ultra-supercritical plant by Shenergy in China.

According to U.N. data, the five projects are eligible to receive a total of 68.2 million CERs over a 10-year crediting period. That is worth 661 million euros ($919 million) based on current prices of CERs traded on the European Climate Exchange of 9.70 euros.

Reliance's Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project will receive 12.3 million CERs and the firm's other 4,000 MW plant, Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project in Madhya Pradesh, will receive 22.5 million. Total carbon dioxide emissions from the five projects, based on data from project design documents, over the 10-year crediting period is 673 million tonnes.[9]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. "Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Power Project," Reliance Power website, accessed February 2014
  2. Rebecca Petchey, Michael Lampard and Alan Copeland, Thermal coal", Australian commodities, ABARE, Volume 17 number 1, March quarter 2010, page 155.
  3. Amiti Sen & Subhash Narayan, "States make case for second UMPP with advanced land clearances", Economic Times, (India), March 20, 2010.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Anil Sasi, "RPower halts work on mega AP project citing costlier imported coal" The Hindu Business Line, July , 2012.
  5. CR Sukumar, "Reliance power approaches Andhra Pradesh government to revive Krishnapatnam UMPP," The Economic Times, August 27, 2014
  6. "Is the govt's mega-power plant dream over?" Business Standard, Jan 13, 2015
  7. "Reliance Power seeks to exit Krishnapatnam power project," Livemint, Jan 26, 2016
  8. "Reliance Power wants Andhra Pradesh government to scrap PPA on power project," Financial Express, Sep 3, 2018
  9. David Fogarty, "Carbon credits for India coal power plant stoke criticism" Reuters Africa, July 12, 2011.

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.