NTPC Ltd., India's biggest power producer, plans to place orders for generators worth at least Rs 32,850 crore ($7.2 billion) by March 31 as it accelerates capacity addition to help reduce blackouts. The utility will buy nine generators of 660 megawatts each and the same number of 800-megawatt units. The equipment cost per megawatt is Rs 2.5-3 crore.
NTPC, which failed to meet its capacity addition target in the year ended March 31, aims to speed up construction of plants to meet demand in India. Capacity additions will more than double to 3,150 megawatts this year, with another 5,500 megawatts to follow in the year ending March 2012. NTPC may form a partnership with Nuclear Power Corp. of India to build a plant in Haryana state in the north of the country.
