NTPC commissions India’s first ultrasupercritical plant

17 December 2019



Over the summer, NTPC has been commissioning what it describes as India’s “first ultrasupercritical coal fired plant”, the 2 x 660 MW Khargone facility in Madhya Pradesh. With main steam conditions of 600°C/270 kg/cm2, this plant “operates at an efficiency
of 41.5%, 3.3% higher than conventional supercritical units”, says NTPC.


As of the end of August, NTPC reported that “fuel handling and transportation systems were ready” and that the plant would “start commercial operation very soon.”

The design fuel is a blend of Indian and imported coal in the ratio 70:30. The plant consists of two boilers (with side mill arrangement), supplied by L&T-MHPS (joint venture of Larsen & Toubro and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems), and two L&T-MHPS suppled steam turbine generators.

Among key features of the plant:

  • Single reheat, once through, balance draft, pulverised fuel (PF) fired boilers with vertical water walls and internally rifled tubes, simplifying construction reducing pressure drop. Furnace designed for lower slag deposition and also incorporates lower NOx PF firing system.
  • Each steam turbine consists of one HP, one IP and two LP cylinders, tandem–compound quadruple exhaust, with condensing reheat turbine designed for high operating efficiency.
  • Five LP heaters and double train of HP heaters (three in number) with topping desuperheater.
  • Dual pressure once through type condensers having divided water box.
  • Metallic casing type cooling water pumps.
  • Two induced draft cooling towers.
  • 275 m high twin-flue chimney.
  • Solar panels installed on selected buildings.

Under a contract with Larsen & Toubro Ltd, India, complete basic and detailed engineering for the entire EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) of the project was carried out by L&T-S&L, a joint venture of Larsen & Toubro and Sargent & Lundy.



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