NTPC Seoni power station

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NTPC Seoni power station is an operating power station of at least 600-megawatts (MW) in Barela and Gorakhpur, Ghansore, Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Jhabua Power Seoni power station.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
NTPC Seoni power station	Barela and Gorakhpur, Ghansore, Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India	22.735479, 79.912341 (exact)

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

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Phase 1, Phase 2: 22.735479, 79.912341

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year
Phase 1	operating	coal: unknown	600	subcritical	2016
Phase 2	permitted	coal: unknown	600	subcritical	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Phase 1	Jhabua Power Ltd [100%]	NTPC Ltd [50.0%]; other [41.3%]; Yes Bank Ltd [8.7%]
Phase 2	Jhabua Power Ltd [100%]	NTPC Ltd [50.0%]; other [41.3%]; Yes Bank Ltd [8.7%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): SECL/MCL
• Permit(s): Environmental Clearance; Terms of Reference: 2010-02-11; Environmental Clearance extension: 2016-02-15; Environmental Clearance extension: 2021

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the project is a 600 MW subcritical unit. According to a timeline posted on the Avantha website, construction began in April 2011 and was ongoing in May 2013.

In 2012 it was reported that construction of unit 1 was facing delays due to opposition from local residents "right from the beginning." The project had resistance from farmers over land acquisition, who have alleged inadequate compensation and high handedness by the plant authorities, leading to protests.

According to the EIA for phase II in May 2013, Unit 1 was still under construction.

According to the India Ministry of Power (March 2015), unit 1 is planned for commissioning in December 2015, later pushed to March 2016.

Unit 1 was commissioned in March 2016.

Phase 2

Phase 2 of the project is a 600 MW supercritical unit. The sponsor was soliciting bids for this phase in February 2012.

Phase II received environmental clearance in August 2014, which was extended to Jhabua Power in February 2016.

As of May 2020, there is no estimated date for completion of phase II, and it is not listed as under construction.

In May 2021, the project's environmental clearance was extended to August 2024.

The March 2023 Central Electricity Authority's Broad Status Report did not list the 600 MW expansion unit as under construction.

In Planet satellite imagery from January 2022 to January 2024 and June 2024, there did not appear to be any construction progress, and no news of a construction timeline was available. No updates to the expansion's progress were found elsewhere as of September 2024, but the expansion was still indicated by Jhabua Power Limited as "under implementation."

Financing

Phase 1: In January 2010, a financing agreement for Phase I was closed. Axis Bank, Bank of India, State Bank of India, Bank of India, UCO Bank, Life Insurance Corp of India, Corporation Bank, Punjab National Bank, United Bank of India, and Oriental Bank of Commerce agreed to provide US$466.5 million in loans.

Significant delays in the start of the plant and cost overrun led to a substantial increase in debt. At the time of corporate insolvency proceedings (see below), Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation were also listed as banks that have extended the loans. PFC was the largest lender. Amount claimed by banks was reportedly over Rs 47,721 million (ca USD $570 million) at the time on insolvency proceedings.

Ownership & insolvency

The original power station was sponsored by Jhabua Power of Avantha Power and Infrastructure. In July 2015, it was reported that Avantha was burdened with debt and looking to sell assets to raise cash. The private-equity arm of the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Bank, along with Tata Power, were in advanced talks to acquire phase I (600 MW) and phase II (600 MW) of Avantha's Seoni project.

However, talks for a third party to acquire Avantha's debt fell through. In November 2018, Avantha offered to pay Rs 24.30 billion to lenders to escape insolvency proceedings for its Seoni plant. The plant was being put up for sale. The plant is one of the country's 34 stressed, non-performing power assets.

Insolvency documents were available on Avantha power's website.

In January 2020, NTPC outbid the Adani Group for Avantha Group’s 600 MW Jhabua plant, with a Rs 1,900-crore offer. Avantha Group owes more than Rs 5,000 crore to lenders, and is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. Avantha Group could recover 38% of their loans if they accept the NTPC offer.

In August 2021, lenders to the Avantha Group came to an agreement with the state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to complete the sale of the 600 MW asset, more than two years after the case was taken to bankruptcy courts. One source said: “We have come to an agreement whereby NTPC will invest Rs 300 crore cash and will also get a Rs 600-crore equity stake. Banks have agreed to take the remaining 50% equity stake for Rs 600 crore which will give us future upside and another Rs 300 crore on deferred payments from the monthly Ebitda generation of the company, which is presently at Rs 25 crore per month."

In July 2022, after a few setbacks, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) upheld the eligibility of NTPC Ltd. to submit a Resolution Plan for Jhabua Power Ltd, which would allow NTPC to complete the purchase.

In September 2022, Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) resolved the stressed project. PFC was the largest lender to the project, which also had REC, SBI, Axis Bank, Bank of India, LIC, PNB, UCO Bank and Union Bank of India among its lenders.

In a marquee deal, NTPC acquired 50% in Jhabua Power Limited (JPL), its first ac­quisition through the Corporate Insol­vency Resolution Process (CIRP) initiated by the National Company Law Tribu­nal (NCLT). Among the various bidders in the fray for JPL, NTPC emerged as the highest bidder, reportedly with a bid of Rs 32 million per MW. NTPC offered 50% equity stake in JPL to the secured financial creditors and retained all management rights and control over the company. PFC is the largest lender to JPL. It was reported that "[g]iven NTPC’s vast experience in the the­r­mal power sector, it is poised to operate the Seoni TPP in line with its high operational standards." Moreover, the power plant comes with long-term po­wer purchase agreements with Madh­ya Pradesh and Kerala as well as fuel linkages with Coal India Limited.

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.