Lok Sabha Question No. 3250 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-20
Subject: NTPC's Water Management  Strategy
Ministry: POWER
Asked by: Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Shri Manish Jaiswal, Smt. Shobhanaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya, Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3250 ANSWERED ON 20.03.2025

## NTPC'S WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

3250.  SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

SMT. SHOBHANABEN MAHENDRASINH BARAIYA:

SHRI MANISH JAISWAL:

SHRI BIBHU PRASAD TARAI:

Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

- (a) the  manner  in  which  NTPC's  water  management  strategy  aligns  with  India's overall sustainability goals in the power sector;
- (b) whether there are specific regions or plants where NTPC has achieved the most significant water savings, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether  there  are  any  new  policies  or  incentives  planned  to  encourage  other power companies to adopt similar sustainability practices, if so, the details thereof?

## A N S W E R

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER

(SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)

- (a): Ministry  of  Environment  Forest  and  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC)  has  issued Environment Protection (Amendment) Rules, 2015 vide notification dated 07 th  December, 2015 which specify limit for specific water consumption by Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) and further amended on 28.06.2018.

Accordingly, NTPC Ltd. has taken various initiatives towards water conservation which  include  Optimization  of  water  consumption  through  advanced  technologies  and process reengineering, Implementation of robust "Water Policy", "Rainwater Harvesting Policy' and Maintaining "Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD)" status across all the stations.  The various measures/systems adopted by NTPC Ltd. for water conservation are as under: -

- i. Implementation of Zero liquid Discharge (ZLD).
- ii. High Concentrated Ash Slurry Disposal (HCSD) Systems.
- iii. Dry Fly Ash Evacuation System.
- iv. Liquid Waste Treatment Plants and Rainwater Harvesting Systems.
- v. Ash Water Recirculation System (AWRS).
- vi. Air cooled condenser (ACC) and Dry Bottom Ash Handling Systems (DBAHS) in recently awarded projects.

...........2.

(b) : NTPC has installed 'Air Cooled Condenser (ACC)' at 02 Units of North Karanpura Thermal Power Plant (3x660 MW), Jharkhand commissioned on 18.01.2023 and 28.02.2024 respectively resulting in  60% reduction in water consumption in respect to Cooling Tower system.  Through this, NTPC has demonstrated its commitment towards water conservation.

(c) : The sustainability practices for water savings followed by NTPC are also adopted by other power generating companies such as Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Tehri Hydro Development Corporation of India Ltd (THDCIL), etc.

The  measures  taken  by  Government  of  India  to  encourage  power  generating companies to adopt sustainability practices are as under:

-  Ministry  of  Environment  Forest  and  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC)  while  issuing Environment Clearances (EC) to the Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) specify limit of water consumption which are complied by the respective Thermal Power Plants.
-  Govt. of India (GoI) has notified Tariff policy on 28.01.2016 wherein it is mandated that the thermal power plants including the existing plants located within 50 km radius of sewage treatment plant of Municipality/ local bodies/similar organisation shall, in the order of their closeness to sewage treatment plant, mandatorily use treated sewage water produced by these bodies and the associated cost on this account be allowed as pass through in the tariff.

************