Adani eyes Indian power grid to link Godda plant
At present, Adani Power’s Godda thermal power plant supplies the entire power to Bangladesh
Electric power transmission pylon miniatures and Adani Green Energy logo are seen in this illustration taken, on 9 December 2022. Photo: reuters
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Electric power transmission pylon miniatures and Adani Green Energy logo are seen in this illustration taken, on 9 December 2022. Photo: reuters
Adani Power is exploring the possibility of selling electricity within India from its Godda thermal power plant in Jharkhand after indications that the Bangladesh interim government may review its 2017 agreement with the company, according to recent media reports.
At present, Adani Power’s Godda thermal power plant supplies the entire power to Bangladesh.
The 1600MW plant has received an approval for a connection to the Indian grid via a substation in Bihar’s Lakhisarai, according to an article published on Indian English daily Business Standard recently.
However, to connect to the Indian grid, the company will have to first build a 130km transmission line, which could take “considerable time”, according to Adani Power.
Adani Power’s request for a faster connection via a nearby substation in Banka (30km away) was rejected by the Central Transmission Utility of India Ltd (CTUIL) due to technical limitations, according to the report. CTUIL serves as the national authority for transmission planning.
The news report, citing a 21 August meeting minutes, said two days after Mohammad Yunus was sworn in as chief adviser of Bangladesh, the centre had recommended connectivity for the Godda plant on 10 August following “emerging geopolitical tensions in Bangladesh and outstanding payment dues.”
Four days prior to that, Adani Power had informed the power ministry that supplying power to India would be “beneficial” during low demand or geopolitical issues affecting Bangladesh.
On 12 August, the power ministry amended the Guidelines for Import/Export (Cross Border) of Electricity, allowing domestic plants exclusively supplying power to neighbouring countries — currently only Adani’s Godda plant — to sell power within India.
It also directed regulatory bodies to draft a standard operating procedure for granting connectivity to such plants.
The CTUIL approved the connectivity proposal for Adani’s Godda plant to the Lakhisarai substation on 21 August, requiring the company to meet technical requirements. In the same meeting, Adani Power had highlighted that it would take “considerable time” to implement this proposal and suggested an interim connection to the closer Banka substation, which was rejected, the report added.
The Godda plant started supplying power to Bangladesh in April 2023. Earlier, Adani Power had warned Bangladesh’s interim government that its $500 million backlog in unpaid dues from the plant was becoming “unsustainable”.
