15 firms apply to set up cement plant units near NTPC’s power plants

National Thermal Power Plant had invited (EoI) from cement plant manufacturers on 16 February for setting up cement units near its plants.

India, the world’s third largest energy consumer after the US and China, plans to achieve 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2022 as part of its commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted by 195 countries in Paris in December 2015.

The plan will also help NTPC to better utilize the fly ash its coal-fired plants produce. Domestic coal contains high levels of ash that harms the environment.

“Presently, NTPC ash is being utilized in land development, ash dyke raising, road/rail embankments, brick/blocks/tile industries, cement industries, etc. NTPC intends to increase its ash utilization by inviting EoI from interested parties for establishing integrated cement plant/cement clinker grinding unit/cement blending unit/allied products manufacturing unit in/adjacent to NTPC power plant(s) on “built, own and operate (BOO)/JV mode,” NTPC had said.

The plants offered by NTPC to set up these cement plant units include Barh (1,320MW), Farakka (2,100MW), Bongaigaon (750MW), Dadri (1,820MW), Badarpur (705MW), Mouda (1,660MW) and Aravali Power Co. Pvt. Ltd (1,500MW).

“NTPC will have to reinvent itself, given the disruptions across the Indian energy sector,” said a person aware of NTPC’s diversification strategy, requesting anonymity.