Further progress to the 1,200 mw LNG power plant project at Cheemeni in Kasargod of Kerala, a global expression of interest (EoI) will soon be floated for it. The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), the nodal agency, wants to know the ‘business appetite’ of global investors mainly in the US, UAE and Singapore about the project through this EoI. Major thrust will be given to the pricing and fuel sourcing abilities of investors.    

According to a rough estimate, the project will cost around Rs 5,400 crore. As per the project report prepared by KSIDC earlier, a 220 KV power transmission line passes near the site, and this is seen as advantageous for it. Availability of open access to the national power grid is another plus point for the project.    

It will be constructed on 200 acres of land in Cheemeni. The original proposal for the project was made five years ago. V Somasundaran, Industries Secretary, said the KSIDC is in the process of finalising a detailed report for the project. He said the final call on whether to form a special purpose vehicle or to assign an independent company will be taken after receiving responses for the EoI.