The company expects to add 6,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 with a capital expenditure target of ₹22,000 crore, Chairman and Managing Director M. Prasanna Kumar told ET.
Of the total target in renewable energy, works for 2,000 MW capacity is already under pipeline. The company’s lignite-to-methanol project, having a capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year and envisaging a capital expenditure of ₹4,500 crore, is at an advanced stage of tendering. It is expected to be commissioned by FY27, Kumar said. “We are hopeful that in 2-3 months we will award the project and the work will start,” he added. The company also expects to get around ₹600-1,000 crore viability gap funding for the project.
Renewable energy
In the renewable space, the company is targeting capacities mostly in solar energy projects and will add wind as well if the opportunity comes. The company currently has 1,430 MW of renewable energy capacity, Kumar said.
The company is planning to spend ₹80-100 crore for its pilot-scale green hydrogen project. “Based on the outcome, we will decide on expanding our horizon on [green] hydrogen,” Kumar said A pilot pumped-storage project in Neyveli will also be started, he added.The company has an 8 MWh battery energy storage pilot project in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. “We are trying to expand our horizon and expand our business in that direction as well,” Kumar said.Coal unit
NLC India’s 3,200-MW Talabira pithead power project in Odisha has faced land acquisition hurdles but the process has gained momentum now and the company is confident of resolving them. “We started the year with no land but as on date we are having 260 ha in our possession. For the main plant, required land is 800 ha. For total power stations it is 1200 ha,” Kumar said. “We are hopeful that by December we get substantial portion of the land and start activities.”
