NTPC Ltd has signed a pact with the state-owned Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Jindal ITF for transportation of imported coal from the ports to the power major’s 2,100-MW Farakka station in West Bengal using the inland waterways.
"Considering the current constraints of Indian port sector, this project is bound to bring paradigm shift in import of dry bulk cargo," an official statement said.
The proposal entails operation of vessels along national waterway- I, connecting Haldia and Allahabad, and will promote use of inland waterways, it said. The need for the new mode of coal transportation was felt due to the insufficient railway infrastructure.
NTPC and IWAI had signed a preliminary agreement in September 2008 to derive a cost-effective coal transportation mechanism to three coal-starved power stations including Farakka in West Bengal and Kahalgaon in Bihar. Jindal ITF, the infrastructure arm of Jindal SAW Ltd., has been selected as an operator by NTPC and IWAI through an international competitive bidding process.
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