UP clears Rs 33,000 crore Meja thermal power expansion
The Uttar Pradesh government has approved a major thermal power expansion project in Prayagraj district involving an investment of around Rs 33,000 crore. The Meja Stage II project will add 2,400 MW generation capacity through three 800 MW units over the next five years.
The project will be developed through Meja Urja Nigam Private Limited, a 50:50 joint venture between NTPC Limited and Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (UPRVUNL). While the proposal has received approval from the state energy task force, final clearance from the Uttar Pradesh cabinet headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is still pending.
NTPC’s board has separately approved equity support of around Rs 3,173 crore for the second phase of the project.
The existing Meja Stage I project, comprising two 660 MW units, is already operational. Unit 1 was commissioned in March 2018 but later went offline in December 2019 due to turbine-related issues, which also delayed commissioning of Unit 2. The second unit was eventually commissioned in January 2021.
Planning for Stage II began around April 2023, when NTPC indicated plans to place construction orders for additional capacity at the site during FY2023-24. In September 2023, NTPC and UPRVUNL signed a supplementary joint venture agreement to develop the expansion project, modifying the original 2008 agreement between the two companies.
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