The Yadadri project is a 4GW coal-fired supercritical thermal power plant under construction in the Nalgonda district of Telangana, India.

Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (TSGENCO) is developing the project with an estimated investment of Rs300bn ($4.3bn). Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been appointed as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the project.

The Yadadri coal-fired power plant will consist of five 800MW supercritical units. The first two units of the project are expected to be operational by September 2020, while the remaining three units are scheduled for commissioning in 2021.

The operational life of the plant is estimated to be 25 years.

Yadadri thermal power project background

The Yadadri power plant was proposed in 2014, after TSGENCO was established following the formation of Telengana as a separate Indian state. Detailed engineering and environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies for the project were completed in 2016.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, approved the EIA in June 2017. BHEL commenced work on the Yadadri thermal power project in October 2017.

Yadadri power plant make-up

Each of the five supercritical generating units of the plant will use a pulverized coal-fired boiler capable of producing steam at 247kg/cm² pressure and 593°C temperature. Each boiler unit will be coupled with a single shaft steam turbine generator that is capable of generating 800MW of electricity.

The plant will use three 275m-tall flue stacks and five natural draft cooling towers. Water required for cooling will be sourced from the Krishna River via a 6km-long pipeline at the rate of 10,000m³/hr.

Other infrastructure facilities for the project include a raw water reservoir, a coal-handling plant, and an ash dyke area.

Yadadri power project site details

The Yadadri thermal power plant is being built on an 11.33km² project site mostly comprised of forest area. Forest clearance for the site was obtained in July 2015.

The site is located approximately 135km away from the Hyderabad international airport, 5km from the Vishnupuram railway station, and 328km from the Kakinada port.

Coal supply

The power plant will use a blend of indigenous and imported coal in 50:50 ratio. The total coal requirement of the plant is estimated to be 13.81 million tonnes a year (Mtpa).

Domestic coal supply will be provided by Singareni Collieries Company (SCCL), while imported coal will be transported to the site via rail networks from the Kakinada port.

TSGENCO contracted SCCL for supplying 7Mtpa of indigenous coal, while MSTC, an e-commerce company owned by the Government of India, has been contracted for delivering another 7Mtpa of imported coal from Australia, South Africa, and Indonesia.

Power transmission

The power generated by the Yadadri thermal power plant will be evacuated to the national grid through a double-circuit 400kV transmission line interconnecting substations at Choutuppal, Dindi, Maheshwaram, and Jangaon.

Financing

The Yadadri thermal power project was initially estimated to cost Rs250bn ($3.57bn), which was later revised to Rs300bn ($4. 3bn).

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) extended a loan of Rs40bn ($573m) towards the construction of the first unit of the plant in July 2015. REC (formerly Rural Electrification Corporation) agreed to provide Rs160bn ($2.29bn) for the project in August 2015.

Contractors involved

BHEL received the Rs204bn ($2.94bn) EPC contract for the Yadadri power project in June 2015.

Bhagavathi Ana Labs, a subsidiary of Bureau Veritas India, was engaged for the preparation of pre-feasibility and EIA reports for the Yadadri thermal power plant.