The National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd is on an expansion spree to meet the power requirements of the country — it has adopted a multi-pronged growth strategy to become a 50,000-mw plus company by 2012.
NTPC envisages 75,000 mw plus installed capacity by 2017 which includes a significant addition of hydro capacity and forays into non-conventional and nuclear power generation.
T. Sankarlingam, Chairman and Managing Director, NTPC, said that capacity addition through greenfield projects, expansion of existing stations, joint ventures and takeover of SEB stations were on the cards.
Disclosing NTPC’s future plans, Sankarlingam said that the nuclear agreement with the US would provide flexibility on the acquisition of technology for nuclear energy. A 2,000-mw nuclear power plant will come up in the middle of the 11th Five-Year Plan and another 2,000 mw at the end of the plan.
The power major has also signed MoUs with the Arunachal Pradesh government for implementation of the 4,000-mw Etalin hydel power plant, the country’s largest hydro power project, and the 500-mw Attunli HEP project.
NTPC also plans to go global. The public sector company has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka and Ceylon Electricity Board for setting up a 500-mw (2x250 mw) coal-based thermal power plant in the island nation. An MoU has also been signed with Kyushu Electric Power Co. Inc., Japan, for establishing an alliance for exchange of information and experts from different areas of the business. The company is also in the process of finalising an MoU with Nigeria for setting up power plants against allocation of LNG on long-term basis for NTPC plants in India.
Despite the major shortfall in the power ministry’s 10th plan capacity addition programme, NTPC has all reason to be pleased with its performance of a total addition of 7,155 mw power during the period. The company’s Vindhyachal super thermal power plant has become the country’s largest thermal generation plant with a total installed capacity of 3,200 mw. Apart from the commissioned projects, NTPC has reported good progress in its ongoing projects. At present, NTPC has a total of 11,360 mw capacity under construction. Its foray into hydro power has also gathered momentum with the 800-mw Koldam, 600-mw Loharinag Pala and 520-mw Tapovan Vishnugad moving ahead at a good pace.
To ensure fuel supply for its upcoming thermal projects, NTPC has entered into agreements with Coal India Ltd and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd for jointly undertaking the development, operation and maintenance of the coal blocks. The coal ministry has also recently approved NTPC’s Pakri Barwadih coal mining project which will be the largest mining capacity plan in India with estimated reserves of 15 million tonnes per annum.