Punjab govt to buy private thermal power plant: CM Mannc

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said the state government will buy a private thermal power plant in the state.

The details will be shared soon, Mann added.

The chief minister shared the information about the purchase of a coal-fired thermal power plant on his Twitter handle.

”Sharing good news with Punjabis…Punjab government is buying a private thermal plant in Punjab…details soon,” Mann said in a roughly translated tweet in Punjabi.

Though the chief minister did not share information about the thermal plant, the state-owned power utility Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) was one of the 12 bidders for taking over the 540 MW Goindwal thermal power plant in Tarn Taran after corporate insolvency proceedings were initiated against its owner GVK Power.

Last month, Mann said the state government would bid for purchasing a private power plant for the first time. He had also said that the state has enough coal stock to run the plant.

A three-member sub-committee comprising state Power Minister Harbhajan Singh, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian was formed to decide on the financial bid.

The 540 MW thermal power plant is an independent power plant, and is spread over 1,100 acres of land in Goindwal Sahib in Tarn Taran. This plant was set up during the SAD-BJP government.