The 210 MW unit at the Amarkantak Thermal Power Station of the Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company in Anuppur district was synchronised today. The power station aleady has two 30 MW units and two 120 MW units operating. The Union minister of State for Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh and the minister of Power of MP Dr Gauri Shankar Shehwar were present on the occasion. Jairam Ramesh said that synchronisation on oil of the 210 MW unit was an important milestone. It would be another four months before the unit is scheduled to be in full commercial operation, he added. He also expressed his anguish that the single 500 MW unit at Birsinghpur in Umaria district which was declared 'commissioned' in June 2007 has yet to come into full commercial operation. This makes it all the more urgent and important to change the present definition of commissioning, he said and added that he had been assured by BHEL that the 500 MW unit at Birsinghpur would reach commercial operation by mid-August 2008. The minister said that there is urgent need for reinvigorating the renovation and modernisation programme of power plants with a view not only to increase plant load factors but also to increase efficiency measured in terms of heat rates. There are substantial deviations in observed and design heat rates. There are seventy seven 200/210 MW units and five 500 MW units with a combined capacity of around 15,000 MW that should be considered for efficiency-oriented R&M on a priority basis, he added. The minister also expressed the hope that work on the 4000 MW ultra mega power project of Reliance Power at Sasan in Sidhi District in which the state's share is 1500 MW, will start soon. He said that he has been assured by Reliance Power that at least one 660 MW unit would be commissioned in the 11th Plan period. Work on the 4000 MW ultra mega power project at Mundra in Gujarat being put up by Tata Power has already commenced with boilers being supplied by the South Korean company Doosan and the turbine-generator sets by Toshiba. The third 4000 MW ultra power project at Krishnapattnam in Andhra Pradesh also being implemented by Reliance power is at a very advanced stage of finalisation.