New Delhi, June 11 (IANS): State-run National Thermal Power Corp said on Thursday said that Odisha's Talcher town will become a power hub with NTPC planning around 3,000 MW of capacity addition there.

"Recently I was in Odisha and the chief minister wanted that we should do expansion in Talcher. We have two stations there. One is a super thermal power station and one is the Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS)," company chairman Arup Roy Choudhury told reporters in the sidelines of an event here.

"At Talcher Thermal Power station, we are planning to add 1,320 MW. In the super thermal power station, we are planning to add another 1,600 MW. So what will essentially happen is that in that area there will be almost 3,000 MW of capacity addition. It will become a power hub in Odisha," he added.

He said that coal linkages for the plants are available from the state-run Mahanadi Coalfields, although there were issues regarding ash disposal.

"MCL coal is now available. They have increased their production last year. So we presume that coal linkage is not a problem. There are issues on ash. Whether that ash will be filled back in mines or we will have to create areas for dumping the ash," said Roy Choudhury.

"This is the only thing which is being discussed and of course the linkage and the mine backfilling is being discussed with Coal India. The moment we are able to sort this out all this capacity addition will start," he added.

The chairman also expressed optimism that the Ratnagiri power plant would start functioning soon.

"We are already in an advance stage of understanding between railways and the Maharashtra government. Once we get clearances from both, I am quite optimistic that in June itself Ratnagiri will start working," he said.