Delhi, August 6: The Talcher Thermal Power Project in Angul that’s under refurbishment for its antiquity, will be re-commissioned by the 1^st quarter of FY 2028-29.

Union Minister of State for Power, Shripad Naik informed it on Thursday during the Monsoon Session of  the Parliament, in response to an un-starred question raised by Dhenkanal MP Rudra Narayan Pany.

Outlining the modernization project of the Talcher Thermal Power Project that was decommissioned aiming better productivity & innovation the Union Minister said, the present physical progress of the newly built project is 51.4%.

The Minister also said, works of the Talcher Thermal Project(Stage-III,2x660MW) are being expedited with the co-operation and close co-ordination of all stakeholders, including the Angul District Administration, state authorities, and other PSUs/ Government organizations.

Citing the reasons behind the delay in commissioning of the project, the Minister attributed it to the problems relating closure of the road passing through the project, handing over the physical possession/ Right of Use (RoU)/ Right of Way (RoW) of the land by the state government, removal of encroachments in the railway siding area, and the lack of availability of critical project materials at the project site.

On the prospect of employment of the locals and project-affected people in the to-be commissioned project, the Union Minister said, due preference is being given by the contracting agencies to engage local workers in various jobs, subject to their skills, experience and the project requirements.

Similarly, responding to the Dhenkanal MP’s question on whether the government/NTPC proposes to give any priority to the former employees of the erstwhile Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS), the Minister said that the erstwhile employees of the TTPS those were serving under the Odisha State Electricity Board (OSEB), were absorbed into the service of NTPC following the takeover in 1995.