The project is expected to save 1,364 million litres of water per year while helping light around 7,000 households. It was inaugurated by RED Sanjay Madan.
Marking a significant development in power generation, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd has started its operations on India's largest floating solar Photovoltaics (PV) project of 25 Megawatts on the Simhadri thermal station in Andhra Pradesh's Vishakhapatnam. The advancement makes it the first solar project set up under the government’s ‘Flexibilisation Scheme’ notified in 2018. The project was inaugurated by Regional Executive Director (RED) (WR2 and SR), NTPC Sanjay Madan.
Initiative to light 7,000 households, cut CO2 emission by 46,000 tons every year
The floating solar installation has a unique anchoring design and is spread over 75 acres in an RW reservoir. The Ministry of power informed that the floating solar project can generate electricity from more than 1,00,000 solar PV modules and that this development would help light around 7,000 households while bringing down the CO2 emissions by about 46,000 tons every year. Considering the issue of saving resources, the project is expected to save 1,364 million litres of water per year and, as long as it is operational, an amount that would be adequate to meet the yearly water requirements of 6,700 households.
First power plan to execute an open sea intake from the Bay of Bengal
Notably, the 2000MW coal-based Simhadri Station is the first power plan to execute an open sea intake from the Bay of Bengal, which has been operative for more than 20 years now. The electricity distribution corporation is also planning to set up a hydrogen-based micro-grid arrangement on a pilot basis at Simhadri. According to the Ministry of Power statement, with this new feat, the NTPC now has a total installed capacity of 66900 MW. It has 71 Power stations, including 29 Renewable projects.
NTPC targets to install 60 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2032
The NTPC has set a target to install 60 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2032. Notably, the power generation company is India's first energy company to declare its energy compact goals as part of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE). Presently, the NTPC Group has over 17 GW of capacity under construction, including 5 GW of renewable energy projects. Continuous supply of electricity through environment-friendly energy schemes at affordable prices has been the trademark of NTPC. The body has also ventured into oil and gas exploration and coal mining activities.
NTPC was awarded the Maharatna status by the Union Government of India, one of the only four companies to be awarded this status. With its eight regional headquarters in the country, NTPC operates from 70 locations in India, one in Sri Lanka, and two in Bangladesh.
