The country’s largest power company, NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) will set up power plants based on renewable sources of energy in different parts of the country, including Gujarat, this year.

The total capacity of these plants would be 1,000 MW. About 90 per cent of this would be based on wind energy, while the rest 10 per cent include other alternatives. Apart from Gujarat, the plants would be located in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Besides this, the NTPC is also exploring possibilities of setting up solar-based power plants. One such plant is being planned in Karnataka, said NTPC CMD R S Sharma, adding, “Talks are in the final stage.”

The company would invest around Rs 750 crore in setting up a 50 MW solar-based power plant. “The plant would be set up at an investment of Rs 15 crore per MW. Apart from this, we are also working on wind-based power plants,” said Sharma, who was in Jhanor, Bharuch on Saturday to attend a company function.

Till date, the NTPC has a total installed capacity of 30,664 MW through 15 coal-based, seven gas-based and four joint venture power stations. For 2008-09, the NTPC contributed 29.36 per cent of the total electricity generated in the country with 20.37 per cent share of the country’s total installed capacity.

“Of the projected 50,000 MW of power in the 11th Five Year Plan, we already have 3,200 MW installed capacity,” Sharma added.

The company is also going international. It is all set to install two 250 MW power plants in Sri Lanka. NTPC and Ceylon Electric Company of Sri Lanka will ink a deal pertaining to the joint venture in a month’s

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