UDAIPUR, May 19 (TIWN): During checking of 52 km gas pipe line of Palatana thermal plant on Monday, ONGC engineers have successfully replaced one Pressure Control Valve (PCV) which was causing hindrance in free flow of gas for last one year, said official sources.It may be mentioned here that ONGC decided to check the gas pipeline as there is as there is shutdown at Palatana.Besides, ten other valves were also replaced by engineers after detecting black particles while during routine check up by engineers, all the replaced valves will be tested tomorrow. The checking is carried on to ensure free flow of gas to the plant .

Meanwhile, the shutdown of Palatana thermal power plant is scheduled to continue till May 23, said a top company executive requesting anonymity, adding BHEL is working round the clock to complete the performance guarantee test within the schedule time.

The scheduled shutdown of first unit Palatana thermal power plant begun from May 17 midnight. It would continue for maximum seven days The first turbine has to undergo the project guarantee test (PGT) to ensure longevity and smooth performance, 

After the successful operation of the first unit (363 MW) of the power plant, OTPC have set a target of making the second unit operational by September this year. We hope that the second unit will start generation before the target time said the executive. 

Meanwhile to overcome power shortage, Tripura State Electric Corporation Limited (TSECL) has ensured supply of an additional amount of 50 MW of power from NTPC and PTC to meet the power demand during the peak-load hours for a week