Patna, July 29: Chief minister Nitish Kumar wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday, urging him to ask the ministries of coal, power and environment and forests to facilitate coal linkage to Barauni Thermal Power Plant expansion project by August 31 and ensure resolution of all related issues.

In the letter, the contents of which were released to the media today, Nitish has written that the deadline for obtaining the environment clearance for Barauni Thermal Power Plant expansion project is January 31, 2013. “The coal ministry will have to ensure that approval of the tapering linkage is notified immediately and the letter of authority issued by the coal company latest by August 31, 2012, to enable us to obtain environmental clearance in due time,” he wrote.

Thanking him for the coal linkage for the power plant, Nitish wrote: “You would kindly appreciate that Barauni Thermal Power Plant is the only state sector power project in Bihar that is expected to add 500MW generation capacity. We are making all efforts to ensure that this project is completed on time between January and July 2014. It is, therefore, essential that the tapering coal linkage offered should provide adequate coal to this plant from a working coal mine from January 2014 till Urma Paharitola coal block comes into production around 2014 and supplies for three years thereafter.”

Earlier, the Prime Minister in a letter to the Bihar chief minister dated July 19, 2012, offered tapering coal linkage to the project if it was linked with Urma Pahari coal linkage. He recalled the all-party memorandum given to him on coal linkage to the project in April this year. Tapering linkage policy requires the quantity of coal to be supplied from the date of commissioning of the project till the coal production starts in the linked block. Over the next three years, the supply gradually tapers off.

The coal ministry, in a letter addressed to the Bihar chief secretary on July 16, made it clear that no fresh linkage could be granted for the Barauni Thermal Power Plant expansion project. It, however, said tapering linkage for the project could be considered, a formal approval for which is pending before a central standing linkage committee.

The same letter said Urma Pahari coal block was allotted jointly to Jharkhand State Electricity Board and Bihar State Mineral Development Corporation Limited.