The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Solapur plant is planning to use bamboo biomass for power generation. This will help it in reducing its dependence on coal.
The initiative will include signing 50-year agreements with farm producer companies to ensure a steady supply of biomass, benefiting bamboo farmers in Solapur, Latur, and Dharashiv districts, officials said.
Gurdeep Singh, NTPC chairman, stated, “The Solapur plant currently uses about 4 million tons of coal each year. To start, we plan to mix 10% bamboo biomass, which means we will need around 400,000 tons of biomass annually. As bamboo production increases, we aim to gradually raise this mix to 20% or even 30%.”
Singh assured that NTPC is prepared to purchase bamboo biomass immediately and sign long-term agreements, providing a reliable market for farmers.
The initiative was formalised during a meeting in December chaired by NTPC, with participation from key stakeholders including Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) CEO Praveen Singh Pardeshi, Pasha Patel, executive chairman of the Chief Minister’s Environment and Sustainable Development Task Force, NTPC Solapur project head Tapan Kumar Bandopadhyay, and Solapur Zilla Parishad CEO Kuldeep Jangam.
The meeting followed a letter from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on December 26, urging NTPC to explore policies to support farmers in these districts.
Patel highlighted the potential of bamboo cultivation near canals, roadsides, and fields, suggesting that the Solapur NTPC plant could eventually transition entirely to bamboo biomass. He encouraged farmers to take advantage of government subsidies such as ₹7.04 lakh per hectare under MGNREGA and additional financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for bamboo cultivation.
For detailed information and further insights, please refer to BioEnergyTimes.com, which provides the latest news about the Biomass Industry
