Uttarakhand Media Delegation Witnesses the Nation's Development Story During NTPC Visit, From Coal To Power & Ash To Greenery

On Wednesday, the media delegation visited NTPC Korba and Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) on the third day of the five-day Study and Media Exposure Tour organised by PIB Dehradun under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. The media delegation got a first-hand view of activities related to power generation, modern technology, safety systems, environmental conservation and social responsibility.

During an interaction meeting at NTPC Korba, Executive Director K.C. Patra shared NTPC’s achievements and future plans with the delegation. He informed that NTPC currently has a total power generation capacity of around 91 GW. The company plans to increase this capacity to 150 GW by 2037 and 240 GW by 2047, the centenary year of India’s independence. He said that along with increasing generation capacity in line with the growing energy requirements, special emphasis is also being laid on technology, safety and environmental management.

Giving details of NTPC Korba’s achievements, it was informed that the 2,600 MW capacity plant recorded a Plant Load Factor (PLF) of 87.71 per cent in the financial year 2025-26. This was the highest PLF among all NTPC stations for the sixth consecutive year. PLF indicates how effectively a power plant utilises its installed capacity. During the same period, Korba also recorded 94.85 per cent declared capacity and 95.33 per cent on-bar availability.

The plant’s continuous operational performance was also noteworthy. NTPC Korba’s Unit-7 operated continuously for 455 days, while Unit-1 achieved a record of 495 days of continuous operation. All three units of Korba Stage-I are among NTPC’s longest continuously operated units.

NTPC’s initiatives in the field of environmental conservation were also a key attraction for the media delegation. Officials informed the delegation about efforts being undertaken for the utilisation and rehabilitation of ash generated from coal-based power generation.

More than 4.5 lakh saplings have been planted in the rehabilitated area of Charpara Ash Dyke, transforming the area into a green zone. During the financial year 2025-26, Korba utilised 60.71 lakh metric tonnes of ash.

On the occasion, PIB Dehradun Assistant Director Sanjeev Sundriyal said that the objective of the Media Exposure Tour is to provide journalists with an opportunity to directly witness the ground realities of government schemes and projects. For a mountainous state like Uttarakhand, understanding technologies related to energy generation, safety and environmental management is particularly important. General Manager S. Bahra and HR Head Shashi Shekhar were also present during the visit.

The delegation thereafter visited BALCO and gained an understanding of the aluminium production process, modern technology, safety and environmental management systems. The journalists also interacted with officials on issues related to production, technological innovation, workers’ safety and local development.

Earlier, an interaction programme was organised at the SECL Headquarters in Bilaspur. During the programme, Biranchi Das, Director (Human Resources), shared the company’s achievements and future plans with the delegation. Ramesh Chandra Mahapatra, Director (Technical–Operations), and Nripendra Nath, Director (Technical–Planning & Projects), were also present on the occasion.