Dabhol power plant starts second unit; output reaches 1200 MW

05 November 2007

Mumbai: Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, set up by Enron Corp in 1996 as Dabhol Power Corporation, has lifted output capacity to a record 1260 MW after commissioning its second unit.

Two units of the gas-fired power plant are now capable of generating 1260 MW and are expected to reach full capacity by 15 November, RGPPL chairman R K Goel said.

Goel, who is also director (finance) of state-run gas utility GAIL India Ltd, said the third unit is expected to start generating electricity by mid-February.

The plant, with a planned capacity of 2,150 MW, would provide electricity to power-starved Maharashtra, which faces a shortage of as much as 4,000-5,000 MW, state energy minister Dileep Walse-Patil said.

"We commissioned block III of 740 MW on Saturday and produced over 1,200 MW," Goel said.

The firm commissioned another unit of a similar capacity -- block II -- in May last year, and the two are running at a plant load factor of 82-83 per cent, Goel said.