Pench Thermal Power Project
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Pench Thermal Power Project is a cancelled power station in Chousara, Chaurai and Chindwara, Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is also known as Chhindwara power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Pench Thermal Power Project | Chousara, Chaurai and Chindwara, Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, India | 22.147958, 79.134455 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 22.147958, 79.134455
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal: unknown | 660 | supercritical |
| Unit 2 | cancelled | coal: unknown | 660 | supercritical |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Adani Pench Power Ltd [100%] | Adani Power Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Adani Pench Power Ltd [100%] | Adani Power Ltd [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): South Africa
Background
The project is proposed by by Adani Pench Power Limited, a subsidiary of Adani Power. On its website Adani states that "the project is in advanced stage of development and the project is planned to be commissioned in the second year of the XIIth Five Year Plan."[1]
Construction activity of the project commenced in March 2010, over two years prior to the granting of environmental clearance.[2]
In December 2011, Adani Power said that it was putting 6,500 MW of capacity expansion projects on hold due to coal supply uncertainties. The plants on hold included Pench Thermal Power Project in Madhya Pradesh, Bhadreshwar Thermal Power Project (Adani) in Gujarat, and Dahej Thermal Power Project in Gujarat.[3]
The power station received environmental clearance in October 2012.[4]
According to reporting from April 2024, the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (MPERC) approved switching a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the cancelled Pench Thermal Power Project to Adani's Mahan Super Thermal Power Project. Adani had sought approval for the PPA transfer in July 2023. The Pench project was intended to run on imported coal and accordingly had a higher tariff of 4.78 rupees per kWh (US$0.057 per kWh). With the Mahan plant running on cheaper domestic coal and having an existing tariff of 3.2 rupees per kWh (US$0.038 per kWh), the PPA transfer represented a windfall gain for Adani.[5]
Opposition, delays and defamation case
The project's permitting was legally challenged in 2013 by villagers that would be affected by the project.[6]
Proceedings before the National Green Tribunal were stayed by the Supreme Court on 6 January 2014.[7]
In April 2014 it was reported that a barricade had been built on a public road between the residents of five villages including Chaunsara, and the Adani Pench Power Ltd (APPL), which was building a 1,320 MW power plant in the area.[8]
In November 2015 it was reported that five people were attacked while protesting the plant.[2]
In 2019, Adani applied for an extension to its environmental clearance. Adani’s justified applying for the extension by arguing that previous policies of the central government on coal procurement (‘fuel linkage’) had impeded development of the project but that, with those policies no longer in force, the project could be revived.[9]
In March 2020, the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission invited bids for setting up a 1,320 MW coal-based power plant in Madhya Pradesh. The bid was won by Adani Group on May 26, 2020.[10] The location may be Pench.[11] As of November 2020 it is unclear if the proposal is a revival of the Pench plant.
In October 2022, a freelance journalist was the subject of a defamation case mounted by the Adani Group, ostensibly over a series of tweets he made about community opposition to the Pench Thermal Power Project. According to AdaniWatch, the tweets expressed opinions on matters in the public domain. The Delhi Union of Journalists condemned the move.[12]
Impacts
According to the Environmental Justice Atlas, "The Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board (MPEB) is in the process of transferring about 300 hectares of land it had acquired from farmers in 1986 to Adani. The water will be drawn from the Pench Diversion Project to be constructed at a cost of Rs 583.40 crore for irrigation purposes and reservation of water for the 500 mw generation plant which was to be developed by MPEB." As such there is resistance to this project for two reasons. "Firstly for the dam on Pench River. The proposed dam will affect about 31 villages and fully submerge about six villages (Over 5,607 hectare area will come under submergence. Secondly, issues related to land acquisition of APPL. For the new and proposed power plant local farmers are not ready to give their land. Another matter of concern is that, the plant will draw water from Pench river raising wildlife concerns owing to pollution in the long run [2]. Medha Patkar is also supporting Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (KSS), which is leading organization of the movement against the project."[13]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Power Generation" Adani Power, accessed July 2011
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Alliance of People’s Movements, "Attack On KSS Activists Fighting Against Adani Pench Power Project," Countercurrents.org, 16 November, 2015
- ↑ "Adani Power holds 6,500-Mw expansion," Business Standard, December 28, 2011
- ↑ Environmental clearance, India MoEF, Oct 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Coup for Adani with switch of high-tariff power contract from Pench to Mahan," Adani Watch, April 23, 2024
- ↑ "NGT admits application against Adani Pench Power Project filed by Medha Patkar, Aradhana Bhargava & farmers," NAPM Press release, July 12, 2013.
- ↑ Adani Pench Power Ltd v Medha Patkar and Others (judgment of 6 January 2014), Civil Appeal D.No(s) 21001 of 2013 before the Supreme Court of India
- ↑ "Adani plant pushes voters to mull NOTA option," Hindustan Times, Apr 8, 2014
- ↑ "Adani revives controversial coal power project in central India where protesters were bashed in 2015". Adani Watch. 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "MPERC Order in Petition No. 28 of 2020," Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission, accessed July 2, 2020
- ↑ "New PPA after 5 years: Madhya Pradesh approves pact with Adani Power". The Financial Express. 2020-05-30. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
- ↑ Geoff Law, "Journalist hit by arrest warrant due to Adani defamation move", AdaniWatch, October 20, 2022.
- ↑ "Adani Power Plant, Chhindwara, MP, India" Environmental Justice Atlas, accessed April 2, 2014.
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.
