Role of NTPC in the National Solar Mission

By Narsi Santhanam • Jun 21st, 2010 • Category: Uncategorized

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), in its new solar mission road map has converged state tariffs with central tariff for solar power. Across the country there will be uniform tariff for solar energy. The MNRE has appointed the NVVN Ltd. as a waypoint for the purchase of power produced by solar power plants which have availed of the JNNSM incentive scheme. The NVVN is a utility company which was originally created by NTPC as a purchaser of power which integrates it with the grid. The incentivized tariff payable as per the JNNSM will be therefore paid by NVVN Ltd. The NTPC Vidyut Vapyar Nigam Ltd (NVVNL), a wholly-owned trading arm of NTPC and the national nodal agency, has decided to procure solar power up to 1,000 MW by 2013.

NTPC’s Role in the country’s future of Solar Energy

The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), a public sector company, has been selected to take the solar power

mission of the country forward, keeping in mind the prospects of tapping solar energy in a big way in states like Rajasthan

and Gujarat, said A K Singhal, Director (Finance), NTPC Limited. “The NTPC has a vision to make its impact in the world of solar energy.”

State-run NTPC, which is known as India’s largest producer of power from coal, has decided to add around 301 mw of solar power by March 2014. Of the 301 MW, 190 MW will be through CSP and 111 MW will be solar PV generation. The director of operations said that though NTPC’s solar capacity addition was not on account of the projects being allotted

by the MNRE for the first phase of the national solar mission, “the MNRE is likely to take into account NTPC’s solar power projects in its national solar mission target”.

For the near-term, the company has planned another 25 mw of solar thermal generation besides the 15 mw generation at Anta, and another 6 mw of solar PV generation at the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

About the Author

Narasimhan (Narsi) has extensive experience in understanding renewable energy markets and strategic levers for success in these markets. His special focus has been his work on the Indian renewable energy industry. His work in the previous 15 years have spanned market and industry research, product management and international sales, and strategic consulting. see more http://www.eai.in/ref/team/ns.html

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