NTPC enters in green power generation, ties up with global majors

Santanu Saraswati
Country’s largest thermal power generator, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has announced its entry in green power generation sector. Corporation’s chairman-cum-managing director, R S Sharma, said.

The NTPC took this decision after the Central Electricity Regulatory Authority (CERA) and Union power ministry made it mandatory for all generating companies to generate at least 10 per cent of its total generation from new energy resources like wind energy, mini hydel, solar power, bio-gas, geothermal and rice-husks. The state power board has already formed a separate corporation—the Green Energy Development Corporation Limited (GEDCL) to explore new energy resources for generating electricity.

The power generation company that already has its two major units at Farakka in Murshidabad district will be exploring possible ways of electricity generation in phases. Foremost thrust will surely be on utilisation of wind energy in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. The NTPC chairman is hopeful of developing at least a 500-kilo watt wind power generation station in Karnataka, the rest will be in other states. Then it will be from solar, mini hydel, and geothermal resources. “Our target is to generate 1000-mega watts of electricity from wind energy. NTPC is investing Rs 6,000 crores to develop these units. We are hopeful to commissioned these units by 2017,” Sharma said.

The CMD, however, declined to divulge the names of the global green power majors, with which NTPC will tie-up to develop these wind power units. “We will come out with every details after the deals are signed of,” Sharma added.

It is learnt that the NTPC will explore the Bay of Bengal shore areas for developing wind power generation and mini-hydel electricity generation stations. The GEDCL is already in the process of building a 5-mega watt mini hydel unit at Durgaduani creek in Sunderbans region. If the NTPC steps in the same area, it will be the second mini-hydel power station in Sunderbans Islands of Bay of Bengal region.

Apart from this, the corporation has already entered into a joint venture with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited. The new company is scheduled to work to develop the proposed 10,000-mega watts nuclear power plant at Haripur in East Midnapur district, in which the West Bengal Power Development Corporation will act as a partner. The state power department is waiting for the environment impact study (EIS) report for this proposed—country’s largest clean energy generating station.

The NTPC presently has 750-mega watts thermal power generating station at Farakka in Murshidabad. The corporation is augmenting the plant capacity by another 500-mega watts by 2010. The Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) is developing the unit, which is expected to start commercial generation by mid-2010, the NTPC chairman observed.

The NTPC is the largest thermal power-generating company with an installed capacity of 23,895-mega watts in the country. The corporation will be augmenting its capacity by another 22,430-mega watt by 2012.
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