ANGUL: Nalco has plunged into an unprecedented crisis due to the non-evacuation of fly ash from its 1200 MW captive power plant (CPP) for more than a week. Production of power in the CPP has drastically reduced from more than 800 MW to around 500 MW, forcing the company to import 300 MW of power from the state grid.
After inspecting the two ash ponds of the CPP, officials of the regional pollution control board recommended the member secretary stop the release of ash into the ponds and operations of the CPP which is vital for running the Nalco smelter plant.
A top Nalco official said of the 10 120 MW units in the CPP, the company runs around eight units per day to feed its smelter power plant and the colony demand. But now, the power generation has come down to a little over 500 MW per day due to the non-disposal of ash from the plant.
He said due to the strike by Talcher Surakhya Manch, coal supply from the Bharatpur mine through MGR has been paralysed since July 13. The strike blocked the evacuation of fly ash through the pipeline which draws slurry from Nalco CPP to the Bharatpur coal mine.
As the ash could not be evacuated through the pipeline, the power plant is releasing it into the ash pond. But the capacity of the pond is nearing saturation and it will be completely filled in only three to four days. After that, there will be no evacuation of ash from the power plant. Official sources said the power plant consumes 11,000 tonnes of coal per day and produces around 5,500 tonnes of fly ash.