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TATA POWER preserves biodiversity by engaging all local stakeholders

4. Environment

Biodiversity and sustainable resource management

Context

Tata Power is India's largest integrated private sector power utility with an installed generation capacity of nearly 3000 MW and a presence in all the segments of the power sector: Generation (thermal, hydro, solar and wind), Transmission, Distribution and Trading. 

The Coastal Gujarat Power Limited (CGPL), owned by Tata Power is establishing an Ultra Mega Thermal Power Project (4000 MW) based on super-critical technology near Tunda village, Mundra Taluka, Kutch district of Gujarat.  The project will sell power to the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra in Western India and to Haryana and Punjab in Northern India, areas that are suffering from severe shortages of electricity. It will provide a competitive source of power and help meet these States’ growing demand for electricity. Cheap and reliable power from the project will help improve the competitiveness of the manufacturing and services industries, which often rely on expensive standby diesel generation to meet their power needs. Competitively priced power will also improve access to electricity in rural and urban areas, while reducing the subsidy burden on State Governments.  The entire coastal area covered by the activities of the plant proposed to be studied with reference to its biological diversity, thereby establishing biodiversity protocol.

Objectives

- Identify potential adverse impacts on biodiversity due to activities related to the CGPL plant

APPROACH

In order to document the coastal and marine biodiversity along the Mundra coast and establish biodiversity monitoring protocol, it has been decided to use relatively non mobile species as measuring impact of the project is much easier, robust and measurable. Six mollusc species are being used as indicators to monitor for change in substrate due to future development activities. Molluscs are an excellent indicator due to their selective habitat requirements and will be used to understand the natural density fluctuations. Seasonal mollusc counts (covering monsoon, post monsoon, winter, and summer months) were taken in correlation with temperature as one of the important variables. The data has provided important information regarding spatial distribution of these six species. Based on this data monitoring protocols are now being developed.  

One of the major issues that came up in the land acquisition process was the loss of grazing land of the local communities. As the land was very arid, it could not support grazing for the cattle, the local communities agreed to have a fodder supply arrangement rather than provision of land as best option. Fodder Supply Arrangement was initiated for two villages by registering a Charitable Trust. The construction of the fodder supply centre was done by Tata Power. CGPL is currently the funding organization for the fodder supply. The Trust will be managed and run by the Village Trustees. The fund raising activity for the Trust will be taken over by the villagers for the sustainable development of the trust. The result of this activity has been that the production of milk has increased substantially and the selling price of milk per litre has increased.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

- Project will increase India’s generation capacity by 3%; which will impact about 16 million domestic consumers in the country and will sell competitively-priced power at US 5.65 cents per kWh 

Benefits

- Local biodiversity is being preserved sustainably with an active participation of all stakeholders

- Most energy-efficient plant in India (40.5%) compared to existing assets (about 27%) & therefore lower GHG emissions

- Project will increase India’s generation capacity by 3% and create 5,000 jobs

Turnover
4.2 milliards $
Country
India

Mise à jour le 20/05/2016

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