NTPC installed capacity crosses 62,000 MW with new acquisitions

New Delhi: India's largest power generator NTPC Ltd announced on Saturday that its total installed capacity at the group level has risen to 62,110 MW after stake acquisitions in North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) & THDC India Ltd (THDCIL). With the completion of the twin acquisitions, NTPC Group has added nearly 13 percent capacity in the current financial year that ends on March 31. At the end of March 2019, NTPC's total capacity stood at 55,126 MW.

After acquisitions, NTPC hydro installed capacity at 3,425 MW

The overall hydro portfolio of NTPC Ltd has reached 3,425 MW. Further, overall addition in the capacity of India's largest power producer includes 1,757 MW of NEEPCO and 1,537 MW of THDCIL, which includes additions in hydro, wind, gas and solar projects. NTPC Group's total installed and commercial capacity now stands at 62,110 MW and 61,126 MW, respectively. The present installed capacity of NTPC group comprises 45 NTPC stations ie 24 coal-based, seven combined cycle gas/liquid fuel, one hydro, 13 renewables and 25 JV and subsidiaries stations i.e. nine coal, four gas/liquid fuel, eight hydro, four renewables.

The backdrop

The acquisition of NEEPCO and THDCIL by NTPC was completed on March 27. The THDC, NEEPCO disinvestment comes barely days ahead of the end of the financial year 2019-20 and has allegedly chipped in Rs 11,500 crore to the state coffers. The deals were part of the government's strategic disinvestment programme under which the Centre is looking to give up management control in public sector undertakings. The Centre had revised its FY2019-20 disinvestment target from Rs 1.05 lakh crore to Rs 65,000 crore in February this year, as two major deals were pushed to the next fiscal — Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Air India. However, sources have said that because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the government will miss its target again and teh total will settle around Rs 50,300 crore at the end of the fiscal. For FY2020-21, the government has set a target of Rs 2.1 lakh crore, including Rs 90,000 crore which is expected to come from the sale of Center's stake in banks and financial institutions.