National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd has started the commercial operations of the first unit of 250 MW of Nabinagar Thermal Power Project of Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Company Limited (BRBCL-a subsidiary of NTPC Limited) (4×250 MW).
With this, the commercial capacity of Nabinagar Thermal Power Project of BRBCL and NTPC group has become 250 MW and 46178 MW respectively.
NTPC Limited is a state owned company, generating and selling electricity. NTPC generates electricity through coal-based thermal power plant.
NTPC has also agreed to buy a coal-fired power plant from Rajasthan’s state-owned utility as part of a strategy to acquire stranded assets.
In a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed, Rajasthan utility Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL) agreed that NTPC will take over the 1 GW Chhabra power plant’s four 250 MW units by March. Two super critical 660 MW units, currently under construction, will be transferred to NTPC once they are commissioned.
“After transfer of Chhabra thermal power plant to NTPC, state government will receive equity as per latest valuation and the losses incurred from Chhabra will stop after transfer of plant and debt liabilities of state government shall also be reduced,” a government statement said.
The Chhabra plant was commissioned in 2010 with a capacity of 500 MW and was subsequently expanded to 1 GW, with unit 3 commissioned in 2013 and unit 4 in 2014. In a November 2016 statement, the state government said unit 5 was synchronised in October 2016, while unit 6 is planned for commissioning in 2018.
