The trial of the 660 MW Unit-2 of the Meja Thermal Power Project was successfully completed and consequently included in the installed capacity of MUNPL and NTPC group. With this, the total installed capacity of MUNPL and NTPC group has become 1320 MW and 63635 MW respectively.
The Meja Thermal Power Plant is the first supercritical power plant (SCPP) in Uttar Pradesh and was expected to be fully operational by December 2020. Meja Urja Nigam (P) Limited (MUNPL), a joint venture of National Thermal Power Limited (NTPC Limited) & Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (UPRVUN Limited), owns the project. The JV was incorporated in 2008 to set up a 1,320-megawatt (with 2X660 MW units) coal-based Thermal Power Plant at Meja, about 45 km from the state’s Prayagraj district. The Unit -1 of the was commissioned in April 2019.
The coal-fired power plant uses 20 percent less coal compared to the subcritical power plants and generates less carbon emissions. Super critical plants use fluids instead of water, which is used in the traditional coal power plants. Since less coal is needed to heat the fluids compared to water, these plants use much less coal.
MUNPL is installing FGD (flue-gas desulphurisation) at the plant which removes sulphur dioxide from exhaust flue gases of fossil fuel-based power plants and from the emissions of other sulphur oxide emitting processes such as waste incineration. This curbs pollution and produces gypsum as a by-product with at least 90 per cent purity.