NTPC floats tender for sale of fly ash at designated ports of Middle East, other regions

State-run power giant NTPC Ltd has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) for sale of fly ash from the designated ports of the Middle East and other regions in its endeavour towards 100 per cent utilisation of fly ash.

The tender application for the EOI for sale of fly ash from the designated ports of the Middle East and other regions commenced on July 1, 2021, and will conclude on July 25, 2021, an NTPC statement said.

Sustainable ash utilisation is one of the key concern areas at NTPC and the company is ensuring sustainable solutions for complete utilisation for it. Fly ash is a by-product of power generation with coal.

The fly ash generated at NTPC stations is ideal for use in the manufacture of cement, concrete, concrete products, cellular concrete products and for bricks/blocks and tiles.

NTPC has collaborated with cement manufacturers around the country to supply fly ash. The power producer is leveraging Indian Railways' sprawling network to transport fly ash in an economical and environment-friendly manner, it stated.

To promote the use of fly ash bricks in building construction, NTPC has set up fly ash brick manufacturing plants at its coal-based thermal power plants. These bricks are being utilised in plants as well as township construction activities exclusively.

On average, 60 million fly ash bricks are being manufactured annually by NTPC's own fly ash brick plants.

As per the MoEF&CC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) directives, NTPC stations are keeping at least 20 per cent of total fly ash produced in reserve for the issue to fly ash brick/blocks/tiles manufacturers and issuing fly ash free of cost to them.

About 9 per cent of the total fly ash produced in NTPCs stations, is being utilised by fly ash bricks/blocks and tiles manufacturing units annually, it added.

Further, during the year 2020-21, almost 15 NTPC stations supplied fly ash to various road projects and ash utilisation crossed by nearly 20 million tonnes.

Over the last five years the fly ash utilisation has grown up by 80 per cent in the country, it added.