NTPC to replace 11,000 MW thermal capacity with energy-efficient plants

The government has embarked on a mission to reduce India's carbon footprint by phasing out all inefficient thermal power plants, older than 25 years, with modern energy efficient super critical plants, union minister of state for power, coal, new and renewable energy and mines Piyush Goyal said.

He said NTPC has already given in-principle clearance to replace around 11,000 MW of its old, inefficient thermal power plants. The plants would be replaced in about five years, with an investment of around Rs50,000 crore, he added.

Further, the minister said, the power ministry is in talks with the environment ministry for clearances, which should not be a problem as it is a huge step in increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. He also urged the state governments to work in mission-mode to modernise their 25 years old thermal power plants with new super critical technology.

Speaking on other initiatives taken by the government, the minister said that there are over 16,000 households in about 800 inaccessible villages in India, which lack grid connectivity.

The ministry would be providing, to each such household, a 300 KW solar panel, 8-hour battery backup, 5 LED bulbs, an energy efficient ceiling fan and a solar power based mobile phone charging socket, all free of cost under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY).

Further, all the companies under the ministry of power, under their CSR initiatives, would be providing solar power-based television sets to these households. Through this initiative, the minister added, the children who were deprived of electricity for years would get a chance to integrate with the global community.

On the progress of the UJALA LED scheme, Goyal said that according to the latest figures from UJALA dashboard, over 18.38 crore LED bulbs have been distributed by EESL and another 25 crore by private sector companies. This drive has witnessed an unthinkable reduction of around 88 per cent in LED prices in just 20 months, which led to an annual saving of around Rs10,000 crore for the consumers. The savings would scale up to Rs40,000 crore in the next 3 years.

The minister also said that Gujarat has become the first state in the country to replace all street lights with LED bulbs and this has been achieved with zero investment by the state in the scheme as the financial savings are so huge. Further, he said that India is in talks with the neighboring countries to take the LED programme to them and become a leader in the Energy Efficiency Mission.

Interacting with children from 17 schools from across the nation, Goyal answered their questions and noted that youth of the nation has the capability to bring a transformation in the mindsets and take the habit of conserving energy to each family. While answering a question from Port Blair, the minister said that the government is working towards transforming Andaman and Nicobar Islands into 'Green Islands'.

He said that a 20 MW solar power plant has been established and a draft plan has been prepared to scale the solar power capacity in the islands to 100 MW. The minister also added that India's solar rooftop capacity would see a jump of 200 times to reach 40GW by 2022, wherein all the commercial and residential buildings would be covered.

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement, "Saving electricity is cheaper than generating electricity", Goyal said that 1 unit of electricity saved is equivalent to avoiding generation of 1.33 units. Twenty-five per cent of energy produced in India is wasted which can be saved by bringing a change in mindset of each citizen. There is a need to effect a behavioural change to ensure participation of each citizen in environment protection, and the change should ideally start from children, he added.

Over 900 Industrial units and 1.14 students participated in various categories of awards.