ANGULL: A fire broke out at the coal transporting conveyor belt of NTPC Kaniha power plant on Saturday morning. Though no major injuries were reported, a CISF jawan escaped with minor injuries while fighting the blaze, officials said.
NTPC authorities said the fire was brought under control within two hours with the help of three fire tenders and an internal water sprinkling system. Since the blaze caused extensive damage to the conveyor belt, officials had to shut down unit-3 of the plant, located near it. However, all other units were functioning normally, they added.
Additional general manager (HR) of NTPC Kaniha power plant BK Pandey said excessive heat in the coal carrying conveyor belt is assumed to have triggered the blaze. “However, the exact cause of the fire can only be ascertained after proper inquiry,” he added.
The injured CISF jawan was discharged from hospital after being administered first-aid, he said. “All the other five units except unit-3 were running in full load. Coal supply in the system was also normal,” he informed.
Notably, 3,010 MW coal-fired NTPC Kaniha power plant supplies power to 17 states including Odisha. It draws around 50,000 to 55,000 tonne of coal from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd per day. The coal is transported via railway rakes and merry-go-round system (MGR).