SIDCUL keeps options open for gas-based power plant in Uttarakhand

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The State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL), which possesses vast 250 acres of land at the industrial town of Kashipur, has kept its options open for setting up a gas-based power plant there.

Earlier this month, the government directed SIDCUL to give nearly 50 acres of its land to another state-run UJVN which is also setting up a power plant at Kashipur.

“Since we still possess substantial land at Kashipur, we have not yet closed our options for setting up a gas-based power plant there,” said an official on Thursday. It was still not clear whether SIDCUL would still proceed with its plan to set up a knowledge hub at Kashipur where it earlier this year had given 200 acres of land for the purpose of setting up the campus of Indian Institute of Management.

Much before UJVN’s plans for gas-based plant came into picture in June this year, it was SIDUCL which wanted to set up the gas-based plant.

“It seems the government initially did not like the idea. But after a change of guard, we will again approach the government to seek permission for setting up the plant,” said the official.

With the natural gas all set to reach the hill state, the government-owned SIDCUL had prepared plans to set up two 300-Mw gas-based plants at Kashipur and Haridwar areas in collaboration with GAIL earlier this year. This was the first diversification move by SIDCUL which had set up several key industrial estates like Pantnagar and Haridwar in the hill state.

GAIL is constructing two pipelines to bring them to Kashipur and Haridwar areas in the hill state from Uttar Pradesh in one year. Since industries face power shortage in the hill state during lean season, SIDCUL took such an initiative to provide gas-based energy to these industries which include some of India’s big names like Nestle, Tata Motors and Hero Honda.

GAIL began construction of these pipelines last year with the construction of Karanpur-Moradabad-Kashipur-Rudrapur pipeline in the first phase with a cost of Rs 250 crore. The pipeline will be 182 km in length. Similarly, the other pipeline is being brought from Saharanpur in nrth-western Uttar Pradesh to Haridwar district of the state.

BS

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