NTPC shuts down 220 MW power plant in Bihar

State-run power producer NTPC has shut down its 220 MW Barauni Thermal Power Station Stage 1 in Bihar. The power producer informed the stock exchanges last week that the 220 MW power unit was closed permanently on March 31, 2024.

The Barauni Thermal Power Station Stage-I consisted of two units of 110 MW each. The thermal power plant in Begusarai district of Bihar has a total capacity of 720 MW. It comprised two units of 110 MW each and another two units of 250 MW each.

The company did not reveal the reasons behind the closure of the two units under Stage-1 of the project.

NTPC shares rose up to 1.66% on the NSE on Monday amid gains in broader market indices.

According to exchange data, NTPC shares opened higher and gained a as much as 1.66% to hit a high of ₹341.4 in morning trade.

NTPC bought the Barauni Thermal Power Station from the Bihar State Power Generation Company in December 2018. At that time, the power plant had two units of 110 MW each and two units of 250 MW each (under construction).

The plant comprised Stage-I of two units of 110 MW and Stage-II of two units of 250 MW. The Stage-2 of the plant was commissioned in November 2021. The project has the coal linkage of Badam Coal Block, which was part of the transfer scheme.

NTPC logs record power generation in 2023-24

Meanwhile, NTPC, which has an overall power generation capacity of 75,418 MW, achieved a record electricity generation of 422 billion units in 2023-24. The production was 6% higher than in the financial year 2022-23.

The plant load factor, which shows the capacity utilisation, was 77% of all NTPC coal stations in 2023-24. NTPC on September 1, 2023, recorded the highest single-day generation of 1,428 million units.

Shares of NTPC were trading 1.37% higher at ₹340.4 apiece on the NSE at 12:22 pm.