ONGC’s troubled mega power project at Palatana in Tripura has received a fresh lease

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of life with the Bangladesh government agreeing to the use of the country’s Ashuganj port for transportation of heavy equipment from the US.

Transportation of these heavy equipment from the US-based facility of GE for the 726-mw project was a concern because of naxal problem and poor road infrastructure in Tripura. The two 9FA gas turbines for the 2x370-mw project weigh about 250 tonnes each.

“The in-principle nod was conveyed by Bangladesh foreign minister Dipu Moni during her visit to India early this month,” a power ministry official said.

He said that Dhaka agreed to provide access to the Ashuganj port to facilitate transportation of over dimensional consignments for the Palatana power project in Tripura.

Over dimensional consignment involve extra ordinary dimensions and tonnage. The eighteen-wheeler trucks, which carry equipment of such magnitude, require unusually large turning radii. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides. The only land route to the hilly state through Assam has narrow roads.

The official said the nod would help ONGC-Tripura Power Corporation (OTPC), the consortium which is setting up the plant, to considerably cut down the project implementation time.

The turbines would now need to cover a total distance of nearly 1,000 km for reaching the site, as against 2,100 km as per the earlier planned route. ONGC owns 50 per cent stake in OTPC, while IL&FS and the Tripura government hold 26 per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively.

The project was proposed in mid-2004, while the equipment orders were placed on the BHEL-GE combine only in June 2008. The project is proposed to be completed by April 2012.

ONGC would supply three million cubic metres of gas every day to the project from its gas fields located about 30-40 km away from the site. A proposal for building a 400 kV transmission line for connecting Agartala to Surajmaninagar and, Surajmaninagar to Palatana is already under consideration.