NLC India Ltd has announced that commercial operation of Unit-2 of its NNTPP (500 mw) has been declared on February 10, 2021.
It may be recalled that on February 5, 2021, NLC India (formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation) said that it had successfully completed 72 hours of continuous trial operations of the 500-mw Unit-2 of NNTPP. The pithead-based power plant is fired by lignite.
NLC India also said that the 500-mw lignite-fired boilers deployed at NNTPP are the first of their kind in India. The steam generator (boiler) and the turbine-generator package of NNTPP was executed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.
With Unit-1 of this power plant already commissioned in December 2019, the power plant will be fully commissioned. Electricity generated from NNTPP will benefit the southern region including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry.
The formal clearance from Southern Regional Load Despatch Centre (SRLDC) for Unit-2 of NNTPP is in process for declaration of commercial operation, NLC India said.
Crosses 6 GW
With this commissioning of Unit-2 of NNTPP, the total installed power generation capacity of NLC India Ltd Group has increased to around 6,061 mw.
NLC India, it may be mentioned, has two separate joint ventures with state government utilities for power generation. The first is NLC Tamil Nadu Power Ltd, with Tamil Nadu Generation & Distribution Company Ltd (Tangedco). This JV has already set up a 1,000-mw coal-based power plant at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.
The second JV, Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Ltd, is with Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. This joint venture is developing a 1980-mw supercritical power project at Ghatampur in Uttar Pradesh, which is currently under construction.
(Note: NNTPP stands for New Neyveli Thermal Power Project)
(Featured photograph for illustration only)