Country's first AUSC power plant to come up in NTPC's Chhattisgarh station

Advanced Ultra Supercritical is pioneering indigenously developed technology

India’s first advanced ultra-supercritical thermal power plant would be set up in the Sipat station of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Chhattisgarh.

The coal-fired project, one of the ambitious plans of the Centre, would have a capacity of 800 Mw. Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) has developed the technology, while power equipment major BHEL will design and manufacture the boiler and other equipment that NTPC would use.

Two years ago, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the proposal for the research and development (R&D) of AUSC technology for thermal power plants with an estimated cost of Rs 15.54 billion. The Centre announced one-time budgetary support of Rs 9 billion.

“The process for setting up the plant with the AUSC technology has started with a geothermal survey,” Asim Kumar Samanta, Group General Manager (GGM) of NTPC Sipat said. The project is likely to be completed in five years, he added.

The 2980-Mw Sipat Super Thermal Power Plant of NTPC located in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district is unique in many aspects. This was the first station of NTPC, where supercritical technology was introduced and 765 Kilovolt switchyard was established first time in the history of NTPC as well as the country.

The plant built with AUSC technology would have five per cent more efficient than the existing thermal plants and help in 12 per cent savings in coal, thus reducing the overall amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, Samanta said. Use of this technology in all future large coal-fired power plants will ensure energy security for the country for a longer period as well as the greener environment.

Power generation from coal-fired power plants contributes to about 38 per cent of CO2 pollution in the atmosphere. AUSC technology would help in 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emission at source combined with 20 per cent saving in coal consumption compared to sub-critical plants.