The Hindu Business Line : NTPC gung-ho on coastal power plants — Simhadri experience a major confidence booster

LESSONS learnt in the 1,000 MW Simhadri thermal power plant have encouraged NTPC to set up more such power plants along the coast, according to officials at the power plant.

For BHEL, which set up the plant for NTPC, it has been a proving ground for its capability in setting up a coastal power plant, they said, speaking to a team of journalists who visited the plant thanks to BHEL.

The success of the plant has contributed to Simhadri, about 40 km from Visakhapatnam, being considered a potential site for an additional 1,000 MW power plant.

It was one of the locations visited by a team from the Central Electricity Authority scouting for a location to set up the plant.

The team also visited Krishnapatnam near Nellore and Sankarapalle near Hyderabad.

BHEL, which supplied the equipment for NTPC, has used technology that makes the Simhadri power plant one of the low-cost power producers that is environmentally sound and efficient, according to BHEL's Additional General Manager, Mr R. Thiagarajan, who was closely associated with the construction.

The plant uses seawater for cooling the turbines and condenser, and for BHEL this was a first-time effort.

To ensure that all the equipment that came in contact with seawater was corrosion-resistant they were coated with polyurethane using technology from a Taiwan company.

Similarly, BHEL has set up a washing system that enables them to use water to hose down insulators without stopping power generation.

Earlier, salt in the vapour from cooling towers settled on the insulators and short-circuited the lines, he said.

High-performance boilers that can handle coal of varying ash content, a modern control room to monitor operations of the entire plant and a one-touch facility to power up the plant are some of the features.

BHEL has been continuously honing its skills; it has set up the 1,000 MW plant in 39 months.

Its next project coming up at Ramagundam on a similar scale is to be completed in 36 months, Mr Thiagarajan said.

BHEL is one of the low-cost constructors of power projects. For instance, its quote for the Simhadri project was about Rs 600 crore lower than that of its competitor.

With its experience in setting up a coastal power project, it can contribute significantly to the Centre's target of setting up 40,000 MW of power capacity by 2012.

According to Mr V.K. Reddy, Assistant General Manager, NTPC, the Simhadri plant accounts for nearly one-sixth of the total power produced in Andhra Pradesh.

Built at a cost of Rs 3,600 crore it is one of the cheapest sources of power at Rs 1.70 a unit. With the State going through a dry spell, the plant has compensated for the drop in hydel power production.

The Simhadri Thermal Power Project is NTPC's first coal-fired thermal power project.

Spread over 3,384 acres the plant has two units of 500 MW each and the entire power is supplied to Andhra Pradesh.

The plant was dedicated to the nation in February.

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