RAMAGUNDAM (PEDDAPALLI DT) | November 14, 2016:
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited in Ramagundam, which is the beacon lamp of South India and about to complete 38 years on Monday.
It is all set emerge as the biggest thermal power station in the country.
Foundation stone for the NTPC Ramagundam was laid by the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai on November 14, 1978 for the 200 MW power plant which was commissioned on October 27, 1983. Later, the power station grew to 2,600 MW by adding seven power plants. In stage-I 3 x 200 MW, Stage-II 3 x 500 MW and stage-III one x 500 MW was added. The NTPC Ramagundam supplies power to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Puduchery and Goa.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation for the Telangana Super Thermal Power Project (TSTPP) Stage-I of 2 x 800 MWs on August 7. The civil work is fast progressing at the proposed site in NTPC and recently the authorities had also set up safety centre.
The 4,000 MW of TSTPP was proposed as part of the AP states Reorganisation Act of 2014. In the first phase, 2 x 800 MW projects would be taken up and in the Stage-II the remaining 3 x 800 MW making it a total of 4,000 MW.
With the commissioning of 4,000 MW TSTPP, the NTPC Ramagundam will emerge as the largest thermal power station in the country with the installed capacity of 6,600 MW.
About 2 tmcft of water from the Sripada Yellampalli Project would be supplied to the NTPC Ramagundam to meet the power generation need at TSTPP and the project would consume 9 million tonnes of coal per annum. The coal supply would be made available from the Mandakini coal mines in Odisha and also from Western coalfields limited (WCL) in Nagpur region of Maharashtra. The power purchase agreement was also made with the TS power distribution company limited.
Over the years, the NTPC Ramagundam had won accolades for its environmental protection programme of massive plantation in and around the power station. It had also won appreciation for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme with the flagship scheme of RO water plants to provide protected drinking water to the villagers.
Besides, achieving milestones in the power generation, the NTPC Ramagundam had set a benchmark in the ash utilization and protection of environment from pollution.
(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)