With pride, NLC India Limited enters its tenth year of producing renewable energy.

INN/Chennai, @Infodeaofficial

Today marks the proud tenth year that NLC India Limited, a Navratna Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, has been producing renewable energy. Today is an important turning point because on September 28, 2015, the firm commissioned a 10 MW solar photovoltaic power plant in Neyveli, starting its journey towards sustainable energy.

India’s energy environment is gradually changing thanks to NLC India Limited (NLCIL), which is led visionarily by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. NLC India Limited became the first CPSE in the nation to generate 1 GW of renewable energy, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to sustainable power generation. This came about in response to the PM’s clear call in 2015 for a robust shift towards renewable energy as India moved from “Megawatts to Gigawatts”.

With 1380 MW of solar and 51 MW of wind power plants, NLCIL, a business that predominantly generates electricity from lignite, has dabbled in renewable energy. By producing 1234 crore green energy units, NLCIL has successfully stopped the production of one crore tonnes of carbon dioxide, supplying millions of people with inexpensive, sustainable power and improving their quality of life.

By 2030, NLCIL plans to have 10,000 MW of renewable energy capacity. To do this, NLC India established two new subsidiaries: NLC India Green Energy Ltd (NIGEL), which will lead clean energy projects, and NLC India Renewables Ltd (NIRL), which will concentrate on asset monetisation. Moreover, NLCIL’s dedication to environmental sustainability in the coal industry is demonstrated by its membership in the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

NLCIL continues to be at the forefront of renewable energy innovation under the direction of Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G Kishan Reddy. The organisation is actively pursuing projects in the areas of solar and wind power, Energy Storage Systems (ESS), Green Hydrogen, Pumped Storage Hydro projects, Lignite-to-Methanol conversion, Mine Overburden-to-Sand initiatives, and Critical Mineral Exploration.

NLCIL plans to treble its 1.4 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030, with an ambitious 10 GW goal in mind. There are large-scale projects in progress in Gujarat, Assam, Barsingsar (Rajasthan), and Neyveli. Notably, on August 28, 2024, NLCIL and the Telangana state DISCOMs signed a 25-year power purchase agreement for 200 MW of solar energy at a competitive price under the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) plan.

In order to contribute to a sustainable and ambitious India, NLC India Limited is dedicated to carrying on with this journey and fulfilling its essential role in realising the Prime Minister’s target of net zero by 2070.