NTPC Simhadri to receive imported coal

Visakhapatnam: NTPC Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station, which has a 4x500 MW coal-fired power plant at Parawada near here, will receive two lakh tonne of imported coal in two months.

Disclosing this, Simhadri Chief General Manager Diwakar Kaushik said on Monday that this is part of 10 lakh tonne being imported from Indonesia to meet the coal requirement of various projects of State-owned NTPC, a maharatna company.

He told the media during an interaction that Simhadri will blend domestic coal with imported coal to improve its Plant Load Factor (PLF). The unit needs 35,000 tonne coal per day to produce power at its rated capacity.

Kaushik said the Simhadri power project, considered as a model station, was able to increase PLF from last year's 48% to 65% due to increase in demand. He said during the current fiscal they are hopeful of increasing PLF further beyond 70%.

The maharatna company is focusing on enhancing its capacity in exploring renewable energy as part of commitment to promote green technologies. He said Simhadri last year commissioned a 10 MW floating solar PV project notwithstanding the pandemic and connected it to the grid in August, 2021. It also launched work on a standalone fuel-cell-based 50 kW microgrid pilot project to produce green hydrogen for use at its guesthouse located at Deepanjalinagar township.

Green hydrogen will be produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen with the use of electrolysers propelled by renewable energy. NTPC has tied up with Bloom Energy India Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore. This will be India's first green hydrogen based energy storage project and one of the world's largest. Simhadri has also taken up buildings with nano concrete. Kaushik said after tying up with IRCTC, they are hopeful of commissioning Rail Neer-a potable water bottling plant outside by using desalinated water with a capacity to produce 120 tonne per day.