Simhadri thermal plant targets 92% PLF

Visakhapatnam: NTPC Simhadri Super Thermal Power Project, which operates a 1,000 MW plant at Parawada, near Visakhapatnam, is targeting to achieve 92 per cent plant load factor (PLF) during the current fiscal.

Last year, the PLF of the unit was only 88.5 per cent as against 92 per cent in 2006-07, owing to turbines overhaul works, R Venkateswaran, general manager, Simhadri Power Plant project, said.

Due to drop in PLF, power production reduced to 7,779.66 million units in 2007-08 from 8,026 million units in the preceding year, he told the media.

NTPC is adding another 1,000 Mw at the Simhadri plant and the stage-II units will start production from 2011-12. Power purchase agreements for the Simhadri stage-II have been signed with discoms of Andhra Pradesh, escoms of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry electricity boards. Over 30 per cent of the Stage-II production would be dedicated to Andhra Pradesh, he stated.

The Simhadri power station utilised 70.54 per cent of ash produced during the year 2007-08. The plant has been generation about 2 million tonnes of ash annually, he added.