State-run NTPC Limited and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) are collaborating to establish an 800-MW Advanced Ultra Super-Critical (AUSC) thermal power plant, announced Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday during the Budget 2024-25 presentation. This joint venture aims to set up a full-scale commercial plant utilizing AUSC technology, with the government providing the necessary fiscal support. The AUSC technology has been developed indigenously through joint research and development by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, BHEL, and NTPC.
India’s current thermal power plants operate at an average efficiency of 32 percent. The adoption of AUSC technology can increase this efficiency to 46 percent by using higher steam temperatures of 710-720 degrees Celsius compared to the existing 540-600 degrees Celsius. This improvement means that less coal is required per megawatt-hour, resulting in lower emissions. BHEL indicates that AUSC technology can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10-15 percent compared to sub-critical technology.
India currently has 72 supercritical and 20 ultra-supercritical thermal power units. The first phase of the project, focused on research and development, has been successfully completed. In the second phase, an 800 MW AUSC technology demonstration plant will be set up under the Ministry of Power (MoP) and NTPC. This demonstration plant will be part of NTPC’s existing facility in Sipat, Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh, according to the Ministry of Heavy Industries. While the AUSC technology has not yet been demonstrated globally, countries such as the United States, Europe, China, and Japan are also studying and developing it.
