Lara Integrated Thermal Power Project

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Lara Integrated Thermal Power Project is an operating power station of at least 1600-megawatts (MW) in Mahloi, Pussore, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, India with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as NTPC Lara, Lara STPP.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Lara Integrated Thermal Power Project	Mahloi, Pussore, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, India	21.757661, 83.457545 (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, Unit 4, Unit 5: 21.757661, 83.457545

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year
Unit 1	operating	coal: unknown	800	supercritical	2018
Unit 2	operating	coal: unknown	800	supercritical	2020
Unit 3	permitted	coal: unknown	800	ultra-supercritical	2028 (planned)
Unit 4	permitted	coal: unknown	800	ultra-supercritical	2028 (planned)
Unit 5	cancelled	coal: unknown	800	supercritical	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

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

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): Talaipalli coal block
• Permit(s): Environmental Clearance; Terms of Reference: 2018-10-24; Terms of Reference Amendment: 2022-08-29

Background

The combined output was originally planned to be 4,000 MW. The plant is sponsored by NTPC.

In September 2011, BGR Energy Systems announced that it has won the contract from NTPC to supply the supercritical steam turbine generator units for the Lara Super Thermal Prower Project (2 x 800 MW), the Darlipali Super Thermal Power Project Stage I (2 x 800 MW), the Gajmara Super Thermal Power Project Stage I (2 x 800 MW) and the Kudgi Super Thermal Power Project Stage I (3 x 800 MW).

Units 1 and 2 have a planned commissioning of 2017. As of 2014 the power station is under construction. Local residents say the project's EIA was flawed and the mandatory public hearing was never properly conducted.

Unit 1 was synchronized in September 2017, and was commissioned in March 2018.

Unit 2 was planned for 2019, and commissioned in July 2020.

Stage II (Units 3 & 4)

As of August 2014, NTPC's list of future capacity additions through 2032 included an additional 2,400 MW for the Lara project, for 4,000 MW total.

There was no developments on the proposed expansion until April 2018, when NTPC said it planned to begin the tendering process for two 800 MW units at the Lara power plant, units 3-4. Plans for the fifth 800 MW unit appears to have been dropped.

On October 24, 2018, the terms of reference for the two new units was granted, after the application was submitted on July 20, 2018.

Vimta Labs publicized the Executive Summary for a Draft Environmental Impact Assessment in September 2019.

As of January 2022, there had been no further developments and Stage II appeared shelved.

However, in April 2022, NTPC was seeking ToR amendment. The main change to the proposed configuration involved shifting from 2 x 800 MW with an Air Cooled Condenser System to 2 x 660 MW with a Water Cooled Condenser System.

Thermal Expert Appraisal Committee notes from May 2022 detailed that "The Project Authorities informed during the meeting that they want to submit the revised proposal with certain modifications. The PP therefore requested for deferment of the proposal. The EAC accepted the request made by the PP and deferred the proposal."

Thermal Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) notes from July 2022 detailed that "In view of the implementation issues faced in ACC Systems at its ongoing power projects, M/s NTPC submitted the fresh proposal for amendment in Terms of Reference for setting up 2x800 MW Power Plant with Water Cooled Condenser (WCC) instead of earlier proposed based on Air Cooled Condenser (ACC) System. Accordingly, Draft Comprehensive EIA report was prepared for 2X800 MW Power Plant with ACC System based on data generated during October-2018 to September-2019. However, the Public Hearing could not be conducted."

The EAC granted updated Terms of Reference for the expansion on August 29, 2022.

The contract for the proposed expansion was expected to be awarded by March 2023.

As of April 2023, the contract for the proposed expansion appeared to not yet have been awarded, but it was reported that the contract would be awarded in the current fiscal year. An official said NTPC expected to place orders "during the current fiscal year" for construction of the 1.6 GW Singrauli Super Thermal Power Station, the 1.6 GW Lara Integrated Thermal Power Project, and the 1.32 GW Meja Thermal Power Project.

The project was granted Environmental Clearance by the Expert Appraisal Committee in May 2023. The EC letter was dated July 17, 2023.

Reports in August 2023 announced that Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) had secured the NTPC order for the Phase-II project's Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) package. At the time, it was reported that the first unit of the expansion was planned for commission within 48 months (before August 2027) and the second unit within 52 months (December 2027). News articles noted that the EPC package included building a steam generator "capable of biomass co-firing," though it was unclear whether there were real intentions for the future units to burn biomass along with coal.

As of October 2023, construction did not appear to have begun yet, and Planet imagery did not show significant change at the site from October 2022 to October 2023. In the Expert Appraisal Committee's October/November 2023 meeting minutes, it was reported that NTPC sought new Environmental Clearance (EC) for the expansion due to its belief that not all components of the existing EC were relevant to the project. According to the meeting minutes, NTPC claimed that "a detailed examination of EC conditions reveal[ed] that some of the conditions [we]re not applicable to the project Lara STPP Stage-II, hence need deletion while some other conditions need review and amendment." During the meeting, the Expert Appraisal Committee decided that the standard EC conditions should indeed apply to the expansion, and returned the proposal in its present form.

The Broad Status report from November 2023 did not yet show construction start, and both units' expected commissioning date had been pushed back to 2028. The February 2024 Broad Status report showed that construction had still not yet been initiated.

Reporting in February 2024 announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the power station's Stage II. According to the April Broad Status report, construction of the two units had still not yet begun.

Planet satellite imagery from April 2024 and August 2024 appeared to show some progress in land preparations at the site. The July 2024 Broad Status report indicated that preparative work on the new units' boilers, Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs), and chimneys had begun, though the report stated that no physical progress had been achieved. The status report in October 2024 indicated that physical progress of both units remained at 0%. While land preparation and civil engineering work was clearly underway, physical construction of the power station appeared not yet to have begun by December 2024.

Citizen opposition

It was reported in September 2013 that "People of at least 50 villages in 12 gram panchayats of Jharsuguda's Lakhanpur block have opposed the 4,000 MW NTPC power project at Lora in Chhattisgarh ... 'We have decided to organize a road blockade on September 19 on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border,' said sarpanch of Attabira Sanjib Pradhan." Sarpanch noted that forests in and around the region will be affected by the project.

Coal supply

In 2021, during a national coal shortage, the Ministry said state-owned NLC India began to supply excess coal from its Talabira-II and -III captive coal blocks in Odisha to NTPC’s Darlipali and Lara power plants.

Financing

Expansion: In 2023, the board of directors of NTPC approved the project at an estimated cost of Rs 15,529.99 crore. It was not known whether there will be any project loans raised to finance the expansion.

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.