One company that has consistently delivered in India’s ramshackle, inefficient and loss-ridden power sector is NTPC. In line with its past performance, the power generation company reported higher profits in the fiscal gone by compared to the previous year. The fact that it has slipped a notch in the rankings to number seven is just a bit of statistics for managers in the company.
In an exclusive chat with BW Businessworld, Gurdeep Singh, chairman and managing director of NTPC, revealed that 2016 was a relatively good year with an almost 4 per cent increase in power generation from its plants spread across the country. But what excites Singh and his colleagues at NTPC is the diversification into greener and cleaner avenues of power generation. They are particularly upbeat about a wind energy project that is coming up soon.
“We were never there, it’s the first time we have got the contract for a 50 MW project. The power project will come up in Gujarat. NTPC is aiming to complete this project around April-May this year,” says Singh. In the solar sector too, NTPC has ambitious plans to take ahead the solar push of the government. The first 800-MW unit has been commissioned at Kudgi, Karnataka.
Highlighting the achievement, Singh says, “The most important thing is that we have been able to get our coal mine opened at Pakri-Barwadih. We are the only company that is steadily growing in the power sector and no other generation company is in a position to invest the way we can.”
The power generation company is riding high on ‘Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana’ (UDAY), which aims to revamp the electricity sector in the country and cut losses of state electricity boards. According to Singh, “UDAY is the most important scheme that has come as a help to improve our efficiency. This has also helped us in maintaining our generation and our recoveries as well.”
NTPC is helping several states in increasing their capacities as well as output. It is focusing on making all the upcoming mines operative and adding capacity of around 4,000 MW this year.
Meanwhile, NTPC continues to be the best in plant efficiency as well as output. Total installed capacity of NTPC has crossed 48,000 MW mark. For the 12th plan period, NTPC was given a target to add 11,920 MW. Till date, it has added 10,925 MW. The first coal mine from NTPC in Pakri-Barwadih mined more than 11,000 tonnes of coal. The group has also raised Rs 2,000 crore via the Green Masala Bond.
Expanding its horizon, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, has signed a power purchase agreementwith Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to supply up to 160 MW power for the period January 2017 to May 2017 through Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar transmission line.
NTPC has also entered into a joint venture (JV) with Coal India to revive Gorakhpur and Sindri plants of Fertilizer Corporation of India, and a company named “Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan” has been formed.
As part of its global operations, Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (BIFPCL), a 50:50 JV between NTPC and Bangladesh Power Development Board, is building a 2x660 MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Project. BIFPCL has awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract to BHEL for setting up the units.
\
Singh is now looking at NTPC crossing another milestone. He says, “We will be crossing 50,000 MW this year.”
BW Reporters
The author is a journalist with BW Businessworld. He primarily covers Retail, Media & Entertainment and Travel & Tourism sectors
