GE Power has secured four contracts from National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to supply and install wet flue gas Desulphurization (Wet FGD) technology for four coal power plants in the country.

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Image: GE to supply air quality control systems for NTPC's power plants in India. Photo courtesy of Karsten W. Rohrbach/Freeimages.com

As per the deal, GE will supply Wet FGD systems for the 1.3GW Solapur Super Thermal Power project, the 1.3GW Tanda Super Thermal Power project stage II, the 500MW Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power project and the 1.3GW Meja Thermal Power project.

GE claims that this technology can help NTPC in controlling SO2 emissions of up to half a million tons every year. The contract is worth INR17.83bn ($247m).

The awards follows on completion of facilities and performance guarantee tests by GE Power for Wet FGD at NTPC’s Vindhyachal Stage V / Unit 13 – 1 x 500 MW thermal power plant.

The company was also awarded a contract for Wet FGD for NTPC’s 2×800 MW Telangana thermal power project earlier this year.

GE Power claims that the six Wet FGDs together could treat more than 42 million cubic meters per hour of flue gas and will remove over 540,000 tons of SO2 each year which will be converted into gypsum by-product for use in the construction industry.

GE Power India managing director Andrew DeLeone said: “This is an important milestone in the country’s progress towards lowering the environmental footprint of its’ thermal power plants. NTPC is clearly leading the industry in adoption of emission-control equipment to comply with the new emission standards which is an encouraging sign.

The Government of India’s Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) made it mandatory in December 2015 for thermal power plants in the country to install FGD technology to reduce SO2 emissions.

Installation of GE Power’s Wet FGDs is expected to take 33 months for the first unit and 39 months for the second unit from the date of award of the contract. GE’s scope of the contract includes design, engineering, civil work, supply, erection, and commissioning of the systems.

DeLeone said: “GE’s broad emission controls portfolio as well as services solutions that can improve coal power plants efficiency and flexibility and lower environmental impact, can further help India balance growing environmental concerns and the need to provide affordable power to its citizen.”