NTPC plans to expand nuclear power capacity

New Delhi: Power major NTPC is looking to expand its planned nuclear power capacity beyond the original target in the wake of the recent lifting of the global embargo on nuclear trade with the country.

“We would like to leverage the opportunity thrown up by the opening up of the nuclear segment of power generation,” NTPC’s Chairman and Managing Director, Mr R.S. Sharma, told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting. “This (NSG approval) enables the company to explore the possibility of increasing the size of its planned nuclear portfolio of 2,000 MW by 2017,” he said.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group, a 45-nation cartel that controls global nuclear trade, approved a US-sponsored agreement that permitted the export of civilian nuclear technology and services to India earlier this month. The Indo-US civilian nuclear deal has now been sent to the US Congress for ratification.

Mr Sharma said NTPC is eyeing a consolidated turnover of Rs 1,00,000 crore by 2014, up from the gross revenues of Rs 40,011 crore clocked last fiscal.

On the thermal side, NTPC aims to raise its generation capacity by 22,430 MW during the Eleventh Plan. Mr Sharma said the company is eyeing 75,000 MW by 2017, from the 29,394-MW now.

The state-owned firm, which is the country’s biggest electricity producer, hopes to boost coal output to as much as 14 million tonnes (mt) a year by end-2012 at the mines leased from the Centre to meet its increasing fuel needs, Mr Sharma said.

The utility plans to produce 47 mt a year by 2017 to meet power generation targets and is also looking to buy coal mines in Indonesia, Mozambique and South Africa, he said.

“In order to secure inputs for the growth plans of the company we are pushing our coal mining activities forward. We are exploring opportunities for coal and gas supplies from Indonesia, Mozambique and Nigeria,” he added.

Mr Sharma said NTPC is planning to go for standardisation and bulk ordering of units to reduce engineering time for the projects, and thereby, prune project execution time. It would also help in reduction of spares inventory optimisation of cost, he said.