Bamboo to generate electricity at NTPC Solapur plant

The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant in Solapur will be integrating the “bamboo “biomass into its power generation process very soon. The objective of the NTPC power plant is to reduce dependence on coal and foster the use of renewable energy.

As per sources, NTPC will also sign 50-year agreements with farm producer companies to ensure a stable biomass supply to the power plant. This will be benefiting bamboo farmers across Solapur, Latur, and Dharashiv districts.

Gurdeep Singh, NTPC chairman, highlighted that the Solapur plant currently consumes 4 million tons of coal annually. Initially, blending 10% bamboo biomass will require around 400,000 tons per year. This proportion could rise to 20-30% or more as bamboo availability increases.

The chairman affirmed NTPC’s readiness to purchase bamboo biomass immediately and secure long-term agreements, providing farmers with a dependable market.

The initiative was formalized during a December meeting led by NTPC and attended by key stakeholders, including Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) CEO Praveen Singh Pardeshi, Pasha Patel, executive chairman of the Chief Minister’s Environment and Sustainable Development Task Force, NTPC Solapur project head Tapan Kumar Bandopadhyay, and Solapur Zilla Parishad CEO Kuldeep Jangam.

The meeting followed a December 26 letter from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging NTPC to explore policies that support farmers in the region.

The officials have emphasized the potential for bamboo cultivation in Maharashtra along canals, roadsides, and fields, envisioning a future where the Solapur NTPC plant could fully transition to bamboo biomass. The farmers are being encouraged to capitalize on government subsidies, including ₹7.04 lakh per hectare under MGNREGA, and additional financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Last year, NTPC Limited achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating the co-firing of 20% torrefied biomass at Tanda plant in Uttar Pradesh. In the previous stints, NTPC had led co-firing efforts with blending 7 to 10% of non-torrefied biomass with coal at NTPC Dadri.