UDAIPUR, July 20(TIWN): Tripura is certain to be hit by another period of acute power crisis; this time for fifteen days at a stretch due to the scheduled shut down of OTPC's 726.6MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) Thermal Power Plant in Palatana. It is now officially confirmed that from 3rd August the Gas Turbine will have its Major Combustion Inspection which is absolutely necessary after 8000 hours on operation. During the fifteen days Major Combustion Inspection the Specialist Engineers of General Electric Company, the Manufacturing Company of Gas Turbine located in Atlanta, USA will inspect the Combustion Chamber along with the technical experts of OTPC.

Combustion Chamber is a crucial segment of Gas Chamber because here Heat (Gas) Energy is converted into Power Energy (electric generation). Naturally after 8000 hours of operation such type of inspection becomes mandatory. And this inspection is totally controlled and supervised by the USA based General Electric Company. Generally the maintenance of operation is done by Sojex Oman Company( as per the agreement with the OTPC). But the agreement excludes Major Combustion Inspection (after 8000 hours) and Hot Gas Path Inspection ( done after 16000 hours). However, the manpower, scaffolding and other helping hands will be supplied by the Sojex Oman. National Power Grid, Bongaingaon will closely watch over the entire process.     

On Saturday night speaking to TIWN Correspondent over phone an OTPC engineer said," It is now scheduled that the plant will go for a complete shut down from 3rd August. And during this fifteen days Tripura along with some other states in the North-East will suffer from acute power crisis as it was during the Performance Guarantee Test(PGT). At present the power generation from the Unit-I is 352MW out of which 335-340MW is supplied to National Power Grid, Bongaingaon. Now it is easily understable that with the Unit-I heading for a 15 days complete shut down power crisis in the state will definitely increase." Meanwhile the Commercial Generation from the Unit-II of the plant is still uncertain. Before Commercial Generation the unit will have to be run for non-stop 72 hours in full-load (363.3MW) capability.

    On 13th July ONGC Director (onshore) Ashok Verma and OTPC MD S . K. Dube visited Palatana Plant and held meetings with the OTPC officials. However, both the high officials declined  to make any comment about the Commercial Generation.