Forest panel gives nod to Rs 29,000 crore Odisha power project

The project to be located in Bhedabahal village in Sudergarh district requires 1,302.36-hectare land including 17.02 hector of revenue forest land.

New Delhi:

A state-level green panel has recommended a stage-I forest clearance to Orissa Integrated Power for setting up a 4,000 mw ultra mega power project worth Rs 29,000 crore in Sudargarh district.

"In the recent meeting, the Regional Empowered Committee (REC) recommended stage-I approval to Orissa Integrated Power for diverting 17.02 hectare forest land for its Utra Mega Power Project in Sudargarh district," a government official said.

Based on the REC recommendation, the state government will give the final clearance. The project to be located in Bhedabahal village in Sudergarh district requires 1,302.36-hectare land including 17.02 hector of revenue forest land. It is estimated to diplace 1,958 families.

The total project cost is estimated to be about Rs 29,000 crore and would generate over 4,500 jobs. The state government has identified 17.33 hectare of non-forest land in Kopasinga village of Sundargarh district for compensatory afforestation. Orissa Integrated Power is a wholly-owned subsidiary of state-run Power Finance Corporation.