Telangana Plans 800 MW Thermal Power Plant at Ramagundam B Station

The Telangana government has advanced plans to establish a new 800 MW thermal power plant at the site of the closed Ramagundam B Thermal Power Station in Ramagundam, Karimnagar. The proposed project aims to enhance regional power generation and create employment opportunities for local youth.

Recently, Andhra Pradesh Energy Secretary Naveen Mittal and Telangana Power Generation Corporation Limited (TGGenco) Chairman and Managing Director Harish visited the closed power station. During the visit, they inspected the existing facilities and interacted with Genco engineers.

The state government decided to establish the new 800 MW thermal power station at an estimated cost of ₹10,893 crore. Although the state Cabinet has already approved the project, work on the site has not yet commenced.

The previous 62.5 MW Ramagundam B Thermal Power Station was commissioned in October 1971. It was shut down two years ago following directions from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) as part of a nationwide policy to phase out smaller and more polluting thermal power units.

Following the shutdown, local residents demanded the expansion of the facility. Prior to the assembly elections, Ramagundam MLA Makkan Singh Raj Thakur promised to upgrade the unit to an 800 MW plant. After his election, he submitted representations to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. During a visit to the plant in August 2024, the Deputy Chief Minister assured residents that the project would be taken up.

The proposed site comprises around 500 acres of land and has ready access to coal, water, and other infrastructure required for the project.

The government initially considered entrusting the project to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). It later decided to develop the plant as a joint venture between SCCL and TGGenco. Officials are now exploring the possibility of involving the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to execute the project.

Under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 4,000 MW of supercritical thermal power capacity was sanctioned to Telangana, with NTPC developing these units at Ramagundam. NTPC has already commissioned 1,600 MW and recently entered into a power purchase agreement with the state government for another 800 MW. Energy Secretary Naveen Mittal reportedly held discussions with NTPC officials during his recent visit to the site.