UDAIPUR, July 4 (TIWN): In a new development to the OTPC's 726.6MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) Thermal Power Plant the unit-II is likely to be operational by the 1st week of August. And once the operation begins it will take almost a month before power generation starts from the Unit-II, said a top level OTPC official to TIWN over phone on Thursday night. The Unit-I is now going through its full-fledged generation.

Since the laying of the Foundation Stone on 29th September 2005 by the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh it took a period of seven and half years for OTPC to start commercial generation from the Unit-I on 21st June 2013 when President of India Pranab Mukharjee inaugurated the Commercial Generation from the plant. Interestingly soon after the commercial generation the plant suffered a major setback as the total power generation came to a halt due to major technical snag occurred in Gas Booster Compressors Heat Recovery Steam Generator(HRSG) and above all dust particles coming through ONGC's gas pipeline causing a serious damage to the power control unit of the plant.

Actually the situation arose due hasty action taken by the OTPC under pressure from the state govt. An official told TIWN that without completing the preparation of the Unit-I OTPC took the risk of power generation. Even on the inaugural day of commercial generation OTPC hired six high power generators to carry on the power generation process at least for three hours at a time(expected time schedule when the President would stay inside the plant).

 In the year 2005 when the Foundation Stone was laid ONGC & OTPC declared in public that full-fledged generation would commence from 2008. But quite surprisingly even in the 1st week of July OTPC is not in a position to start the Unit-II on experimental basis. Actually after suffering huge loss from the Unit-I BHEL engineers are unlikely to take any risk as far as the Unit-II is concerned. A BHEL engineer told TIWN over phone, "We can't afford any more financial loss. Our headquarters have been duly informed and the instructions have been sent to us not to do anything hasty.

Meanwhile OTPC CMD S.K. Dube arrived here on Thursday and he held meetings with the OTPC's internal staffs and officials on Thursday and again on Friday morning Dube met the officials of BHEL. S K Dube is accompanied with his colleagues from Delhi. At 2pm on Thursday S K Dube arrived here and left the project site on Friday afternoon. According to TIWN sources, CMD asked the officials to start process so that the Unit-II can be operational by the 1st week of July. The BHEL officials and technicians informed the CMD that they need one month time to make the Unit-II ready for Commercial generation provided everything goes well. Even now Unit-I creates some difficulties for which generation from Unit-I comes to a halt. Only in the last week of June due to some technical problems the plant had gone for a complete shut down and as a result of it the state suffered serious power crisis.

 A confidential source informed TIWN sources that even there will be changes in the top level of OTPC. With the shifting of power at the Centre, even new CMD is expected to take charge very soon. As of now S K Dube's term ends in August. And a top level OTPC official hinted that S K Dube's term may not be extended. If it really happens, the commercial generation from the Unit-II of the plant may be further delayed. And even a large section of OTPC's employees are not happy with S K Dube and his team and a new CMD is most likely to take charge before Durga Puja.