Odisha pollution board allows Vedanta to resume power generation

Bhubaneswar: Vedanta Ltd on Thursday announced that it will resume power generation at three power plants as the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has revoked its earlier order to close five power units of the company.

The OSPCB revoked closure of three units — two units of 135mw each and one unit of 600mw — on September 20, 2017, the company said in a BSE filing.

The pollution board had on September 14 asked the Vedanta Aluminium Ltd to shut two units at the thermal power plant and three units at the Captive Power Plant (CPP) in Jharsuguda district’s Katikela area.

“The revocation will help the company get complete reliable power generation back in place, satisfying the requirement for smelter operations and there will not be any need to purchase the 200mw power,” said the company.

Following a breach in the ash pond dyke wall in Jharsuguda at the end of August, the OSPCB had served a direction resulting in a temporary closure of three units of 135mw each of the 1,215mw CPP, and two units of 600mw each of the 2,400mw power plant.

The pollution control board had also asked the company to comply with its directive not to discharge any industrial effluent and ash slurry from the ash pond area to any water body and land.

The OSPCB’s move came after a breach in Vedanta plant’s ash pond No. 2 embankment near Katikela on August 28 that led to inundation of ash on agricultural land at the village. (IANS)