Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch projects worth nearly Rs 69,000 crore in Odisha in February, of which at least Rs 58,000 crore will be for coal and power projects alone, senior officials told Moneycontrol on January 29.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Sambalpur, Odisha, on February 3 to inaugurate the permanent campus of IIM Sambalpur. During the visit, the PM is also likely to lay the foundation stones of at least four thermal power plants totalling 5,570 megawatt (MW).
In the power sector, the PM is likely to launch projects worth nearly Rs 29,000 crore, which includes laying the foundation stone for NTPC’s Talcher-III Thermal Power Project (2 x 660 MW). He will also inaugurate NTPC’s Darlipali Super Thermal Power Project (2 x 800 MW), and NSPCL’s (NTPC-SAIL Power Company Limited) Rourkela Power Plant-II Expansion Project (1 x 250 MW).
In the coal sector, the PM will launch projects worth at least Rs 29,300 crore, which includes laying the foundation stone for the first phase of NLC India‘s Talabira Thermal Power Project (3 x 800 MW). Besides, Modi is also likely to inaugurate the doubling of the Jharsuguda-Barpali-Sardega railway line, and at least three first-mile coal connectivity projects, such as a washery and a silo. All these are aimed to ensure faster coal transportation to thermal power plants.
