NLC India plans Rs 35,000 crore Odisha power plant

NLC India has signed agreements with Odisha's investment promotion agency to pursue a 3,200 MW coal-fired power plant in the state, in a deal worth Rs 35,000 crore. The state-owned miner and power producer said on 22 October that it had signed memoranda of understanding with the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha, known as IPICOL, in Mumbai. The Odisha thermal power plant would be built as four units of 800 MW each using ultra-supercritical technology. NLC India put the potential investment at Rs 35,000 crore, or about $3.69 billion, and said the project could create about 4,000 jobs.

NLC India thermal plant anchors Odisha package

The Odisha thermal power plant is the largest of three proposals covered by the agreements. The other two are a coal gasification study tied to fertiliser production and a beach sand minerals processing facility. The minerals facility carries a tentative investment of Rs 2,000 crore and could create about 500 jobs. The company did not disclose an investment figure for the coal gasification proposal. NLC India said it would study whether coal can be converted into synthesis gas for use in the fertiliser sector. Synthesis gas is made up mainly of hydrogen and carbon monoxide and is used to make chemicals and fertilisers. Ultra-supercritical plants run at higher steam temperatures and pressures than older subcritical units, which lets them generate more power from each tonne of coal.

NLC India gasification study targets fertiliser link

The coal gasification proposal would test the technical feasibility of producing synthesis gas and linking it to fertiliser production. The work would explore how domestic coal resources could feed industrial and fertiliser manufacturing, rather than being burned only for power. The beach sand minerals facility would process minerals such as ilmenite, rutile and zircon, which are used in pigments, ceramics, aerospace products and titanium-based goods. Beach sand minerals are separated from coastal sands and refined into feedstock for those industries. The three proposals together point to a wider push into mineral-based industries in Odisha, alongside the power plant that anchors the package. IPICOL is the state agency that courts industrial investment into Odisha, and the agreements give it a role in taking the proposals forward.

NLC India jobs and investment in Odisha

The agreements were signed by I.S. Jasper Rose, executive director for mines and land at the company, and Aboli Sunil Naravane, managing director of IPICOL. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma and chairman and managing director Prasanna Kumar Acharya were present at the signing. The move marks a large commitment to coal-based infrastructure at a time when electricity demand is surging, even as pressure grows to shift toward cleaner energy. The project remains at the proposal stage. The memoranda outline the intended investment and employment potential for Odisha, and construction has not been confirmed to have started. For Odisha, the package would bring construction work, operating jobs and demand for local services if the proposals advance. The state has courted energy and mineral investments as part of its industrial growth push, and the agreements add a state-owned developer to that effort. The NLC India project will need feasibility work, land and fuel arrangements, and approvals that have yet to be announced. The company has not said when it will take a final investment decision on the plant.