of electricity for the entire state. It is the first ever thermal power plant in India to have commissioned a 500 MW Unit in 1991-92. The First stage of the Plant was sanctioned in 1976 and the then Central Energy Minister Shri K. C. Pant laid the foundation stone on 16 January 1977. The first set of 210 MW unit was commissioned in August 1983 and the second set in July 1984. The first unit was dedicated to the nation on 8th Oct 1984 by the then Hon. Prime Minister, Late Smt Indira Gandhi. The Station has 4 units of 210 MW and 3 units of 500 MW each and another 2 units of 500MW are under construction. Durgapur and Padmapur Collieries of WCL are pit head mines from where the coal is transported by Ropeway.
A 420 metre Masonry dam, constructed on the river Erai at a distance of about 15 km from the power station, caters to its water requirements. The dam is a composite dam with a central spillway and earth saddle dams on left and right bank of 800 and 425 meters length respectively. MSPGCL acquired 7041 hectares of land for the construction of this dam. The dam has effective storage capacity of 198 million cu. meters Of which 12 million cu. meters per year is released to Chandrapur city
