Yermarus power station
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Yermarus power station is an operating power station of at least 1600-megawatts (MW) in Yermarus, Raichur, Karnataka, India. It is also known as Vadloor Power Station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Yermarus power station | Yermarus, Raichur, Raichur, Karnataka, India | 16.295261, 77.35612 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 16.295261, 77.35612
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: unknown | 800 | supercritical | 2016 |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: unknown | 800 | supercritical | 2017 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Raichur Power Corp Ltd [100%] | Karnataka Power Corp Ltd [77.9%]; Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd [22.1%] |
| Unit 2 | Raichur Power Corp Ltd [100%] | Karnataka Power Corp Ltd [77.9%]; Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd [22.1%] |
Background
The project originally started as a 1600 MW plant (2x800 MW) but was reported at one point to have been increased to a 1700 MW (2x850 MW) project. As of April 2012, the company has cleared and constructed a wall around the 685 acre plot. In one report, there were to be two units, one at Yermarus and one at nearby Yedlapur. However, in the most recent company reports, the project is described as a two-unit facility being constructed at Yermarus.[1]
As of August 2014, the sponsor lists the size as 2 x 800 MW and under construction. Commissioning is planned for 2015,[1][2] later pushed to December 2015 for unit 1 and April 2016 for unit 2.[3]
Unit 1 was commissioned in March 2016.[4] Unit 2 was synchronized in July 2016,[5] and is planned for commercial operation in January 2017.[6]
Unit 2 was commissioned in March 2017, with commercial operation planned for April 2017.[7]
Financing
The original financing agreement to fund this project was closed in November 2011, although the details are unknown.[8] During the 2017-2018 fiscal year, the Power Finance Corporation "provided refinancing of Rs1,700 crore (US$260m) for the project."[9]
Opposition
A public hearing for the opposition of villagers near the Yermarus power station was planned to be held on June 19, 2009. The protestors, under a group called Raichur Hitarakshana Samithi, claimed that the power plant would increase fly ash area. They suggested that the project should be moved out of the Raichur area to the Chandrabanda area.[10]
According to press reports, 250 families will be displaced by the project. Opponents of the project affiliated with various parties have worked under the umbrella organization Raichur Hitarakshana Samithi to stage public protests. Issues include fly ash as well as the cumulative impact of the project on top of the existing pollution from the eight units of the Raichur Thermal Power Station, also under construction by Karnataka Power Corporation[11]
On January 19, 2015, hundreds of people from Chikkasugur, Vadlur, Eganur, Kukanur and Heggasanahalli villages staged a demonstration outside the Yermarus power station. The protestors had lost their land for the Yermarus plant and alleged that the company in charge, Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL), had not kept its promise of providing jobs to those whose land was taken from. They demanded that KPCL reserve 50% of jobs for local people, adopt the Heggasanahalli and Kukanur villages for development, and take precautionary measures to minimize environmental pollution from the power station.[12]
In January 2016, it was reported that there were protests from the workers at the Yermarus plant over construction of the compound wall. The neighboring farmers claimed the wall was a “hurdle” in their path reaching the agricultural fields. They demanded that the land where the wall is built be acquired first, and that one person from each of the families losing land should get a job at the power station.[13]
On November 3, 2016, protestors from Vadluru, Chikkasuguru, Hukanuru, Yeganoor, Heggasanahalli, and Yermarus villages protested against the Yermarus station, demanding jobs and compensation for the land that was acquired from them. They closed the main gate to the coal-fired power plant for 10 days, cutting off ash and water pipelines as well as blocking the railway track to the power plant. The Chief Engineer of the Yermarus project met with protestors after, and “assured all will be sorted by November 30.”[14]
On June 26, 2019, temporary employees at the Yermarus power station demanded that their jobs be made permanent to Chief Minister Kumaraswamy (CM). The CM was on his way to Karegudda when the protestors laid on the road to stop his bus. The CM shouted at the employees to “go to Modi,” a politician that the protestors had predominantly voted for. The CM also threatened a lathi-charge as the police tried to remove the protestors.[15]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Work on thermal plant at Yermarus will begin in April," The Hindu, January 5, 2012
- ↑ "YERAMARUS (2×800 MW) THERMAL POWER STATION (JOINT VENTURE – RPCL)," Karnataka Power Corporation website, accessed August 2014
- ↑ "Supply of coal to Power Plants," India Ministry of Power, July 23, 2015
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, March 2016
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, July 2016
- ↑ Monthly Broad Status Report, India Ministry of Power, October 2016
- ↑ "Monthly Report on Broad Status of Thermal Power Projects in the Country," Government of India Ministry of Power, March 2017
- ↑ "Monitoring Report" (PDF). Retrieved November 2, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "India's Power Finance Corporation Continues to Fund Non-Performing Coal Assets" (PDF). IEEFA. April 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ “KPCL defense power plants at Yedlapur, Yeramaras”, Deccan Herald, June 14, 2008.
- ↑ "KPCL defends power plants at Yedlapur, Yeramaras," Deccan Herald, February 25, 2012
- ↑ “Land-losers protest outside YTPS construction site.”, The Hindu News, January 20, 2015.
- ↑ “Power generation trials at Yermarus plant this month-end”, January 13, 2016.
- ↑ “Thermal plant fallout: Two years on, Raichur villagers await jobs, compensation for land acquisition”, The New Minute, November 15, 2016.
- ↑ “Want help? Go to PM Modi: Irate HD Kumaraswamy to protesters”, Deccan Chronicle, June 27, 2019.
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.
