Anil Ambani-led Reliance [Get Quote] Power, which emerged as the lowest bidder for the 4,000 MW ultra mega power project at Krishnapatnam, will be awarded the contract in a few days.

This was announced by India's Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. He said the company had placed a winning bid of Rs 2.33 per unit for the project, the third such after the Sasan and Mundra UMPPs. Reliance Power has already bagged the contract for the UMPP in Sasan, Madhya Pradesh, while Tata Power [Get Quote] will execute the other proj ect in Mundra, Gujarat.

Shinde said that Reliance Power would be awarded the contract in a few days. He said the government, in the 11th Plan period, would add over 78,000 MW of power generating capacity, which is 28 per cent more than the capacity added during the last three plans.

The capacity addition does not include the ultra mega power projects, Shinde clarified and added that another 12,164 MW capacity would be created through captive power plants during the period. The Minister said equipment for producing 56,067 MW of p ower has already been placed and another 12,250 MW contract would be awarded by March 2008.