Anil Ambani group company Reliance Power has said its Rs 10,000 crore Samalkot plant in Andhra Pradesh, having a capacity of 2,400 MW, is ready for electricity generation.
"The entire capacity is expected to be commissioned in a combined cycle by the end of 2012 ...," Reliance CEO J P Chalasani told reporters.
Expecting that the gas allocation would be done shortly for the plant, Chalasani said six gas turbines having combined capacity of about 1,450 MW have already been installed.
The Rs 10,000-crore project would be the country's largest gas-based plant. The Ministry of Power had recommended a gas allocation of 9.6 mmscmd per day for the plant.
"We are hopeful of getting gas (for the project) shortly ... The project is strategically located near the prolific KG natural gas basin and would contribute to reduce deficit in the power-starved Southern Region," Chalasani said.
According to him, the gas situation in the country is going to be dynamic and depending on how much gas is made available for the project, the company would look at other possibilities.
Chalasani noted that cost of electricity generation is expected to be lower since the project is near the gas source, which would help in reducing the transport input costs.
Regarding tariffs, he said that would be decided through competitive bidding and would depend on markets.
The Samalkot project is expected to add around six per cent to the Southern region grid.
Besides turbines from General Electric, other equipment has been supplied by various vendors including Belgium's Hamon, China's Xian Electric and South Korea's Hyundai.
Reliance Power expects to have a capacity of 5,000 MW of by December this year. Currently, the company has an installed capacity of 900 MW.
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