Hyderabad: A committee under the Ministry of Environment and Forests has recommended the state-owned NTPC Limited to consider shifting the location of its proposed 4000 MW power plant from the current site at Vishakhapatnam as the area is ‘ecologically sensitive’.

According to the minutes of the meeting of Experts Appraisal Committee under the Ministry, the region where the 4x1000 MW Pudimadaka Super Thermal Power Project in Andhra Pradesh is proposed, is a 'tsunami prone area'.

"The Committee after detailed deliberations opined that the proposed site is not environmentally and ecologically suitable as there are large number of water bodies in the proposed site and are inter-linked. Further, the creek is only about 100 metres away; the region falls in high flood zone/Tsunami prone area, and has high rainfall besides being close to salt pans.

Due to complex hydrological system, this area is ecologically sensitive. Hence, the proposed site in the present form cannot be recommended. The PP may re-locate/shift the site away from the ecological sensitive area in consultation with the state government," the committee said.

NTPC officials were not available for comments.

The same proposal, which was submitted to the EAC for consideration of 'Terms of Reference' got rejected by the committee as NTPC did not provide alternate sites. The EAC, in its meeting in March advised the power producer to come up with minimum two alternate sites for the project.

The AP has allotted 1200 acres of land on lease basis for 33 years to NTPC for setting up the 4000 MW power project in Visakhapatnam with an investment outlay of Rs 20,000 crore.

According to an earlier order issued by the Government, NTPC had committed to complete the project before March, 2019 and once completed, it would be the biggest single location power project in the state.

If the project is running successfully at the end of the lease period, it can be extended further on mutual terms. The lease conditions as well as rental will be as fixed by APIIC as per their policy, the Government Order had said.