UP's first supercritical power plant in Meja is going to be functional in December 2020

Meja Urja Nigam Private Limited (MUNPL) is a 50:50 joint venture (JV) of Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Generation Corporation Limited (UPRVUNL) and state-owned NTPC Limited.



New Delhi (Natural Energy News): Meja Thermal Power Plant, Uttar Pradesh's first supercritical power plant, will be completely functional by December 2020, said CEO of MUNPL, Asim Kumar Samant.


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Meja Urja Nigam Private Limited (MUNPL) is a 50:50 joint venture (JV) of Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Generation Corporation Limited (UPRVUNL) and state-owned NTPC Limited.

The JV was incorporated in 2008 to set up a 1,320-MW (with 2X660 MW units) coal-based Meja thermal power plant at Meja, about 45 km from the state's Prayagraj district.

Samanta reported, "Unit-I of the supercritical plant has already been implemented from April 30, 2019. Unit-II is ready to announce commercial operation. It will be commissioned by next month," Samanta told.

After the commercial operation of Unit-2, the plant will be fully operational, he said.

The CEO said that the plant is well connected by road to Prayagraj.


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It has its own 28-km freight corridor, which helps in bringing important materials like coal to plant from the rail. The power plant is also attached to the river Ganga in the village Bijora through a route of approximately 30 km of the channel to convey water for industrial uses.

Samaja said that Meja Thermal Power Station is the first supercritical power plant (SCPP) in Uttar Pradesh.

He said that an SCPP has about 10 percent more efficient than sub-critical power plants. "It uses 20 percent less coal than them. Generates fewer carbon emissions."

A supercritical coal plant is a coal-fired power plant with more latest and innovative design as well as functions. It differs from traditional coal power plants because the water running through it acts as a supercritical fluid.

This reduces the amount of heat transfer in water that is required in normal cases in a conventional coal plant. Thus, very less amount of coal is needed to warm up the same quantity of water.


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The CEO said that they were also carrying out Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions in and around their power plant. They have planted trees for societies.

When asked about the use of electricity produced by the plant, Samanta said that the electricity generated from it is supplied to many states and union territories (UTs) through the grid.

A leading share of 82 percent is originated within Uttar Pradesh, 5 percent of share in Rajasthan, 4.8 percent of share in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), 3.6 percent of share in Punjab, 2.8 percent of share in Uttarakhand and the rest of shares in Chandigarh and Madhya Pradesh, he said.

Samanta said that at present the plant is running at a plant load factor (PLF) of 80-85 percent.

In September 2020, MUNPL signed a loan agreement of Rs 942 crore with Bank of Maharashtra for capital expenditure related to 2x660 MW thermal power plant and long-term project financing to finance FGD (Flu-Gas Desulfurization).


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When asked about the timeline set by the company to install FGD technology at the plant, the CEO said that it would take another year to complete the work.

FGD is a set of technologies developed from the emission of sulfur dioxide gas from the exhaust flue gases of fossil fuel-based power plants, and other sulfur oxide emission methods such as garbage incineration.

In addition to preventing pollution, the FGD policy in a power plant generates gypsum as a by-product with at least 90 percent purity.


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