PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone For 1,600 MW Power Plant Expansion In Chhattisgarh, Here's How It Will Ensure Low-Cost Electricity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated NTPC's Lara Super Thermal Power Station, a 1,600 MW facility in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, on Saturday (24 February).

He also laid the foundation stone for an additional 1,600 MW expansion of the plant, known as Stage II, as per a report by The Economic Times.

Stage I of the station, built at an investment of around Rs 15,800 crore, will serve as the foundation for the Stage-II expansion, requiring no additional land.

The Stage II expansion, estimated to cost Rs 15,530 crore, will also be located on the existing Stage-I site.

The coal for this project will be sourced from NTPC's Talaipalli Coal block using the merry-go-round system, ensuring a consistent supply of low-cost electricity.

The use of highly-efficient super critical technology for Stage-I and ultra super critical technology for Stage-II will result in lower specific coal consumption and carbon-dioxide emissions.

50 per cent of the power generated from both Stage-I and II will be allocated to Chhattisgarh, with the remaining power benefitting states and Union territories like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

In another development, NTPC announced that its subsidiary NTPC REL's first solar project in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, has commenced commercial operation, supplying 70 MW of power as of 21 February 2024.

This achievement has increased the NTPC Group's installed capacity to 73,958 MW. NTPC-REL currently has 17 projects under execution, with a total capacity exceeding 6,000 MW.

The total operational capacity of renewable energy for the NTPC Group now stands at 3,448 MW.

The Chhattargarh solar project, with a total capacity of 150 MW, is expected to be fully commissioned by March 2024.

The project, won under SECI-Tranche: III, will provide energy equivalent to 370 million units per year, enough for 60,000 households, while also reducing CO2 emissions by 3 lakhs tonnes annually and conserving 1,000 MMTPA of water, sufficient for over 5,000 households in a year.