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

During the third day of a five-day Study and Media Exposure Tour, a media delegation from Uttarakhand observed the development journey of India at NTPC Korba and Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO). This tour, organized by the Press Information Bureau Dehradun under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, aimed to provide journalists with firsthand experiences of government schemes and projects.

At NTPC Korba, Executive Director K.C. Patra shared the company's achievements and future plans, including a target to expand its power generation capacity from the current 91 GW to 150 GW by 2037 and 240 GW by 2047. Patra emphasized the company's focus on technology, safety, and environmental management alongside increasing generation capacity to meet the growing energy needs.

NTPC Korba's 2,600 MW plant recorded the highest Plant Load Factor (PLF) of 87.71 percent in the 2025-26 financial year, indicating its efficient utilization of installed capacity. The plant also achieved 94.85 percent declared capacity and 95.33 percent on-bar availability during the same period. Notably, Unit-7 operated continuously for 455 days, while Unit-1 set a record of 495 days of continuous operation, both among NTPC's longest-operated units.

Environmental conservation was another significant aspect of the NTPC Korba visit. Officials explained the company's efforts in utilizing and rehabilitating ash generated from coal-based power generation. Over 4.5 lakh saplings have been planted in the rehabilitated area of Charpara Ash Dyke, turning it into a green zone. In the financial year 2025-26, Korba utilized 60.71 lakh metric tonnes of ash.

The media delegation also toured BALCO, gaining insights into aluminium production, modern technology, safety measures, and environmental management systems. They interacted with officials about production, technological innovation, worker safety, and local development. Earlier, at SECL Headquarters in Bilaspur, an interaction program was held where Biranchi Das, Director (Human Resources), shared the company's achievements and future plans, along with Ramesh Chandra Mahapatra, Director (Technical–Operations), and Nripendra Nath, Director (Technical–Planning & Projects).