Regional Coal: NTPC to boost coal-based power capacity to 30 GW by 2032

NTPC, India’s largest state-owned power generator, has raised its capacity addition target for 2032 to 30 GW, up from an earlier target of 26 GW, in response to the country’s growing power demand, Indian media reported.

All additional capacity will come from the expansion of NTPC’s existing thermal power units across India. The company is planning several projects to achieve this target, including four new plants: Barh (600 MW), North Karanpura (600 MW), Patratu (1,600 MW), and the Khurja thermal power plant (1,320 MW), in which NTPC took a controlling stake in 2020.

India’s peak power demand is expected to reach a historic high of 270 GW this year, surpassing last year’s record of 240 GW. During that period, coal-based power remained the backbone of India’s electricity supply, with more than 75% of the demand met by thermal units.

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NTPC currently accounts for up to 70% of India’s total electricity supply. In the current financial year, the company aims to add 3.6 GW of new thermal power capacity and plans to award 8 GW of capacity for various stages of construction.

As part of its long-term plans, NTPC also intends to retire its Tanda thermal plant (400 MW) by the end of the decade. Alongside its coal-based expansion, the company’s renewable energy division, NTPC Green Energy Ltd, aims to add 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032. Last year, NTPC added 3.9 GW of renewable energy, with a target of 5 GW for the current financial year.

Editing by Alexander Ginting