NTPC strikes deal to supply processed seawater as Rail Neer

VISAKHAPATNAM: Despite facing many difficulties in running the Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station, the management under NTPC in Visakhapatnam is focusing on flexible operation methods and research projects concerning efficient use of seawater, including converting seawater into fresh potable water, as a pilot project. Based on the success of the project’s trial run, the management inked a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) to supply, in bulk, ‘re-processed’ potable water to be used in trains as Rail Neer. 

The research wing of NTPC, Netra, has already applied for patenting the innovative sea water processing method. 

“IRCTC inked an MoU with us to take re-processed potable fresh water from our desalination plant and sell that as Rail Neer in bottles on trains and in railway stations. Our desalination plant was commissioned about one year ago and since then we have been working on re-processing used seawater into purified fresh drinking water under a pilot project. We were successful,” Arupratan Maiti, group general manager (GGM) NTPC Simhadri Super Thermal Power Stationtold TNIE. 

The NTPC GGM, along with other higher officials of the plant including, Additional General Manager (HR) V Siva Prasad and General Manager (Technical) Saroj Chelluri interacted with mediapersons, as the financial year came to an end, on Saturday.

IRCTC has bottling plants in Chennai, Delhi and Dinapur (Bihar), Maiti said. Very soon it is going to commission its bottling unit here, at the NTPC premises, the official informed. Now It produces about 6.14 lakh one litre bottles, which are high in demand. “To meet the rising demand of bottles, IRCTC is going to establish the new bottling plant at the NTPC Simhadri premises,” the official said. 

The desalination plant can produce 120 - 125 tonne of demineralised water per hour. “Though our capacity to produce demineralised water is around 120 - 125 tonne, we are able to convert 20 - 25 % of the water into fresh drinking water through our pilot project and we are going to enhance the quantity. The MoU will come into force in 8 - 10 months time,” Saroj Chelluri, GM (Technical) said.  Speaking on the performance of the company and difficulties faced by it the GGM said, “We faced severe coal supply troubles in the recent times and somehow we managed to come out of the crisis. To fill up the gap, we are now getting 1 to 2 rakes from Singareni coal mines and blending the two coal varieties without any difficult”.

Patent application  
The research wing of NTPC, ‘Netra’, has applied for patenting its innovative sea water re-processing method. The IRCTC inked an MoU with the NTPC to take re-processed potable fresh water from its desalination plant and sell it as Rail Neer.