86% of NTPC’s upcoming coal-based power generation capacity will be AUSC power plants

New Delhi: Days after the Union Budget announced financial support for the setting up of an Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) thermal power plant by NTPC Limited and BHEL, NTPC has said that AUSC power plants constitute the lion’s share of its under-construction coal-based power generation capacity. In an investors’ presentation, NTPC said that a total of 9.5 GW of coal-based power generation capacities are under construction, out of which 86 percent, or 8.2 GW, will be AUSC power plants. The remaining 1.3 GW will be super-critical power plants.

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With India continuing to rely on coal for meeting baseload power requirements, the government is pushing the AUSC technology as it is more efficient than the super-citical and critical power plants. Currently, India’s thermal power plants operate at an average efficiency of 32 percent. Employing the AUSC technology can ramp this figure up to 46 percent. Such higher efficiency is achieved by higher steam temperatures of 710-720 degree Celsius instead of 540-600 degree Celsius used in present power plant technology. Greater efficiency means that the power plant requires less coal per megawatt-hour, leading to lower emissions.

NTPC planning 7 GW of conventional power generation capacity addition in 3 yrs

NTPC’s capacity addition plans for the next three years reveal that its renewable energy capacity addition will be more than double the capacity addition of conventional sources. NTPC said that it is planning to add 7 GW of conventional power generation capacity and 16 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) capacity in the next three years. In addition, it is also planning to commission Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) systems in 54 GW of thermal power plants which will entail an investment of Rs 27,000 crore.

The Maharatna PSU also said that it added 4 GW of power generation capacity in FY24 and has 26 GW under planning.

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