New Delhi (NVI): Ahead of its 45th year of completion, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) today said that it is fully geared to steer transformation in India’s power sector through renewable and clean energy.
The PSU under the Ministry of Power has reiterated its commitment to nation-building and energising India ahead of its Raising Day tomorrow.
India’s largest power producer, which commenced its purposeful journey on November 7, 1975 and has made a stellar contribution in lighting every nook and corner of the country, is fully geared to steer the next phase of growth and transformation in India’s power sector that offers immense opportunities, the Ministry of Power said in a statement.
This year, the Raising Day event will be celebrated through online platforms and maintaining social distancing amidst the COVID pandemic.
This also makes the Raising Day special, as NTPCians worked round the clock during the lockdown phase earlier this year to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the nation, the Ministry said.
“Electricity is an essential part of our lives and its availability 24 by 7 during the lockdown proved extremely critical in providing seamless emergency services and facilitating the smooth working of lifesaving equipment. This brought additional responsibility on NTPC and it delivered beyond the demand. Everyone has been rightfully applauding the front-line Corona warriors including medical professionals and essential service providers, but the pandemic also established power engineers as new heroes,” the Power Ministry said.
NTPC has been the flag bearer for the power sector in the country in the last 45 years. From its current power-producing capacity of 62 GW, NTPC plans to become a 130 GW company by the year 2032.
In line with the global trend towards renewables, which is a cleaner source of energy, NTPC has plans to achieve 32,000 MW of capacity through renewables or 25% of its overall power portfolio at the beginning of the next decade, the Ministry said.
Currently, NTPC has 2,404 MW of RE projects under implementation, out of which 237 MW comes from floating solar projects located in reservoirs at NTPC’s existing stations. In fact, Ramagundam 100 MW Floating Solar, being set up under non-PPA mode, is the largest in the country.
The gradual shift towards renewables is one part of NTPC’s commitment towards sustainable power generation and safeguarding the environment. At the same time, NTPC is currently making huge investments towards deployment of FGD equipment, whereby more than 60 GW capacity has been tendered for FGD for its various coal based power plants, in order to cut down harmful emissions, it said.
As part of its commitment towards the environment, NTPC has undertaken many ‘firsts’ for the sector. NTPC is working towards utilizing agro residue for power generation to discourage in-field crop residue burning. NTPC has pioneered co-firing of Biomass pellets along with coal in the boilers.
NTPC power plants have also set new benchmarks in water consumption, going beyond compliances, by implementing the Zero Liquid Discharge System, and Rainwater Harvesting System. NTPC’s other significant undertaking is its efforts towards 100% utilization of fly ash.
NTPC has also been committed towards the betterment through by embracing various Learning & Development (L&D) initiatives for its employees. During the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, India’s largest power producer adapted to digital webinars and online courses implementing newer learning modules reaching out employees including their families from across locations. NTPC has also tied up numerous organisations like Art of Living, Isha Foundation and others for employee well-being.
NTPC has marked its presence in Coal, Gas, Hydro, Solar and Wind and also ventured into Biomass, Waste-to-Energy, Mobility and now it has started exploring the Captive industry. NTPC will continue to grow by aligning its development with national priorities and global changes.
-ARK
