Torrent Power is planning to permanently shut its 362-MW coal-fired AMGEN power plant in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati area by December 2030 and replace it with a significantly larger thermal unit that could be built outside Gujarat, marking the end of one of the country’s oldest operating power stations.
The plant, located on the Sabarmati riverfront, sits next to the Sardar Patel Sports Enclave, which is being readied to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, and overlooks the upcoming Sabarmati bullet train station across the road. Its eventual closure would remove one of the last large coal-fired generating stations from the heart of Ahmedabad. “The AMGEN power project is about 362-MW capacity. We have permission to run it up to December 2030. After December 2030, it is not going to be in operation,” a senior Torrent Power official told investors during the company’s post-results earnings call on Monday evening.
To replace the ageing station, Torrent has sought a fresh coal linkage for nearly double the existing capacity. The Gujarat government has approved the proposal and has approached the Centre for coal allocation. “We have requested the State government for double the coal allocation for the capacity of 362 MW. The State government has approved the coal, but they have requested the Central government for the coal allocation. Once the Central government approves the coal allocation for this plant, we plan to set up close to 800-MW unit to replace the AMGEN power project,” the official said.
While the replacement project is intended to continue supplying Torrent’s Ahmedabad distribution network, the new plant may not necessarily be located in Gujarat. “We are working out where exactly to place the plant. It may not be in Gujarat. We are working on where this new plant will be come up. It is work in progress right now,” the company’s management said, adding that Torrent will finalise its investment plans once the coal allocation is approved.
The move comes against the backdrop of tightening environmental regulations. Under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s notification issued in December 2024, the 362-MW plant is exempt from installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems only until its planned retirement on December 31, 2030. If Torrent chooses to operate the station beyond that date without meeting sulphur dioxide emission norms, it would have to pay an environmental compensation of ₹0.40 per unit of electricity generated, applicable retrospectively from January 1, 2028.
The Sabarmati station’s land has also emerged as strategically important for Ahmedabad’s urban redevelopment plans. Torrent Power disclosed in its FY26 annual report that the Gujarat government has sought the transfer of a portion of the plant’s ash pond land for development linked to the Sardar Patel Sports Enclave, which is being upgraded as a key venue for the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The company said it is in discussions with the State government to arrive at an amicable solution, including evaluating alternative options to offset the proposed reduction in ash pond area.
The AMGEN plant remains a critical embedded generation asset for Torrent’s licensed distribution business in Ahmedabad and operates under a regulated tariff framework approved by the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission. The station traces its origins to 1934, when the first generating units were commissioned at Sabarmati to supply electricity to Ahmedabad. Over successive expansions and modernisation, it evolved into the current 362-MW configuration comprising three units of around 120 MW each, making it one of India’s oldest continuously operating thermal power stations. Its retirement would mark the end of a nearly century-long chapter in Ahmedabad’s power sector.
Published on August 3, 2026
