'Women and children were crying desperately for help.' 'We had to save them first.'
The plant started operations after Supreme Court vacated a stay granted by Gujarat High Court on pooling of LNG prices to make fuel affordable to the power plant.
India's largest gas-fired power plant at Dabhol in Maharashtra has seen power generation plunge to less than 450 mega-watt against the total capacity of 1,967 MW, on falling natural gas supplies.
Dabhol's assets will be demerged into the power plant and the LNG terminal.
The government's move is crucial as the state distribution utility MahaVitaran was purchasing about 95 per cent of power since the Dabhol project began generation in April 2006
Minster of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora on Monday commissioned the first stretch of the Dahej - Panvel - Dabhol pipeline from Dahej to Surat.
Dabhol is part of Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd.
The 386-km pipeline from Dahej to the power plant became operational on Monday.
The project is currently generating 240 MW against its total capacity of 1,967 MW.
Gas prices have fallen to $10 per million British thermal unit. But the fate of the power project, run by Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, will hang in balance till the committee takes a decision on gas pooling, reduction in certain taxes and providing per unit subsidy.
Decks have been cleared to restart the controversial Dabhol Power Project in Maharasthra as the company's US promoters withdrew all legal proceedings against the state and the central government before the arbitration panel in London.
The Maharashtra government will submit its proposal for purchasing electricity from Dabhol project, said Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, adding that the Centre will supply power at Rs 2.20 per unit.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh met Petroleum Minister Murli Deora Wednesday to request for alternative sources of gas for the state's Ratnagiri plant.
The Power Ministry on Monday said it is against hiving off the LNG terminal from the Dabhol power plant.
National Thermal Power Corp, Gas Authority of India Ltd and Indian lenders will contribute Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) each as equity
"The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has held several meetings. A solution is in sight," Union Power Minister P M Sayeed.
Ratnagiri Gas and Power, firm that now runs the Dabhol plant, was allocated 7.6 mmscmd of KG-D6 gas.
The Maharashtra government has offered some respite for the troubled Dabhol Power Project by agreeing to provide a guarantee for a Rs 300 crore
Ratnagiri Gas & Power's Dabhol plant will start generating power at full steam and Maharashtra will start getting around 2100MW power by November, Chandan Roy, chairman and managing director, RGPPL, said.
Reliance Industries may sell one-fourth of the 40 million standard cubic metres per day of natural gas production likely from its gigantic Krishna Godavari field off the Andhra coast to Dabhol Power project in Maharashtra after its revival.
Petronet LNG Ltd will begin supplying liquefied natural gas imported from Qatar, Egypt, Algeria and Oman to the beleaguered Dabhol power plant once a small 15-km stretch of pipeline is completed, a company official said.
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, the nation's Power regulator, has allowed Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Ltd, the new owner of Dabhol power project, to sell electricity to Maharashtra government.
Dabhol has faced a series of catastrophic equipment failure and is currently battling thinning gas availability.
The government on Friday said 'all cases' relating to the beleaguered Dabhol power project have been settled.\n\n
The company is pursuing the early scheduling of gas with the Centre to restart generation.
The Dabhol power plant of the Ratnagiri Power and Gas Company is in trouble once again with problems in the recently commissioned second unit and delays in commissioning the third.
Amid possibilities that power giant National Thermal Power Corporation may bid to acquire the 'defunct' Dabhol Power Plant, the government on Tuesday said a resolution was 'in sight' to restart the over $3 billion project in Maharashtra.
At a meeting convened by Power Secretary VS Sampath later this evening with a team of officials from General Electric, the US-based company, which has supplied six gas turbines at Dabhol, has agreed to start negotiations on the Contractual Service Agreement of the project, according to official sources. The Dabhol power plant has three blocks with six gas turbines. However, only three turbines are functioning at present.
In an attempt to find a lasting solution for the troubled $2.9 billion Dabhol Power Project, GE said on Monday it was joining hands with NTPC and BHEL to restart it.
The plant has been shut since 2013 for want of domestic gas supplies.
Shutdown looms over the plant as severe gas shortages cripple production; company doesn't have money to pay the monthly debt instalment of Rs 108 crore.
The turnaround has been possible due to availability of domestic gas on priority.
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