CM Anandiben Patel lays stone for 800-MW unit at Wanakbori station in Kheda.

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel recently laid the foundation stone of the eighth and the biggest unit of state-owned Wanakbori thermal power station in Kheda district, with an investment of Rs. 4,465 crore and power generation capacity of 800 MW.

Patel accused the erstwhile UPA government of causing a six- year delay in giving necessary clearances to this power project.

'We had sent an application to Government of India in 2009 for this project. Had timely environmental clearance been given, we would have been commissioning the unit,' said Patel about the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited-owned project that is expected to be completed by 2018-19.

“When the project is completed, it will a BJP government that will come to inaugurate it, Patel added, sending a message to her political rivals that BJP will return to power in 2017 when the next state assembly elections are due.

The project also marks a first in the history of GSECL (that was created as a entity responsible for power generation after the Gujarat Electricity Board or GEB was unbundled) for setting up a super critical thermal power project that will have less emission, low heating and lesser fuel consumption.

'Now there are seven units of 210 MW each at this power plant. This unit will add another 800 MW and it will consume 25 percent less coal than the other seven units and will bring down the cost of power generation from Rs. 3 per unit to Rs. 2.40 per unit,” said Energy Minister Saurabh Patel.

Once ready this 800 MW is expected to add to Gujarat’s existing quota of surplus power. 'We currently have a power generation capacity of 24,000 MW and our peak demand is only 14,000 MW,' Patel added.

THE INDIAN EXPRESS