Indian energy company NTPC to build a 5,000 megawatt solar park

Indian state-owned energy company NTPC will not build coal-fired power plants in the coming years to reduce its carbon footprint. At the same time, the company is investing approximately $ 3.5 billion in a giant solar park with a capacity of 5 gigawatts (5,000 megawatts) in Gujarat.



The power plant will be built in stages over the next five years.



Historically, NTPC has specialized in thermal, almost exclusively coal generation. The company operates 53 power plants. In addition, nine more coal-fired power plants and one gas are owned by joint ventures or subsidiaries. The total capacity of all these facilities is 55.78 GW .



By 2032, the company plans to increase its generating capacity to 130 GW, including the introduction of 32 GW of new RES capacities. Thus, part of the fossil fuel-based power plants in the NTPC portfolio will be reduced from 96% to 70%.







Earlier it became known that the Government of India plans to increase the amount of renewable energy generation to 260 GW by 2024 (Ukrainian) . Until 2022, the target set at 175 GW, including 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind generation, can be exceeded. The total capacity of renewable energy generation facilities will reach 225 GW.

(On September 23, at the opening of the UN Climate Summit, the Indian Prime Minister confirmed plans for 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022 and 400 GW by 2030 - approx. Translation.)



Moreover, by 2024 it is planned to build 30 GW of solar generation based on elements and modules of local production.

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From a translator: At the moment, the NTPC “renewable portfolio” is 920MB. Of these, 870MW are solar power plants in various states, 50MW is a wind power plant in Gujarat. Under construction, a hydropower plant in Uttar Pradesh and plans for a geothermal power station are also considered a renewable energy source. Source



Also, the plan of the company includes not just reduction of coal power plants, but their joint work with solar ones. The press release states that these two types can work in tandem: during the day, production will be from a solar power station, and at night - from a coal power plant. It’s difficult for me personally to imagine the costs of “kindling and extinguishing” coal-fired power plants, perhaps the Indians worked out this mechanism