India hopes to sort Orissa plant coal issues by mid-Feb

Monday 31 January 2011, 2:15 PM

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's power ministry is hopeful of resolving environmental issues regarding a coal block attached to a proposed 4,000 megawatt power project in Orissa by mid-February, Power Secretary P Uma Shankar told reporters on Monday.

"The government has postponed the date for pre-qualifying for the Orissa project to March 31 from Jan. 31," he said on the sidelines of an industry conference.
The coal-fired power plant will use coal from mines located in an environmentally sensitive forested area.
India currently has four 'ultra-mega power projects' of 4,000 MW each under construction, as part of its effort to boost generation capacity.
(Reporting by Ketan Bondre;Editing by Aradhana Aravindan )