The top Thermal Power Plants in India 2024

Thermal Power Plants in India In today’s sky, electricity has become an important part of our life. Where everything from lights to fans, from phones to ACs runs on electricity. To supply this electricity, India takes help of various sources, one of the important sources of which is – thermal power plants. These plants produce electricity by using heat. Let us take a little deeper to understand how thermal power plants work and why they are so important for India.

A thermal power plant, also known as a thermal power station, is a type of power generation plant where electricity is generated using thermal energy. These plants mostly use non-renewable sources such as coal, oil, gas or nuclear fuel. The operation of a thermal power plant is simple and efficient, in which water is converted into steam by burning fuel. This steam is passed through a turbine, which is connected to a generator and electricity is generated in the process.

What is a Thermal Power Plant?

A thermal power plant is a system set up to convert thermal energy into electrical power/energy for domestic and commercial use. During electricity production, steam-driven turbines convert heat into mechanical and then electrical power. In a thermal power plant, heat energy produced through the combustion of solid fuel (often coal) is used to generate steam at high pressure and temperature. The turbine shaft connected to the generator rotates with the help of this steam. The generator then converts the kinetic energy of the turbine’s rotor into electrical energy.

How Does a Thermal Power Plant Work?

Thermal power plants basically work by converting heat into electricity. It involves several steps:

1.Fuel Combustion: Fuels such as coal, natural gas or oil are burned in a boiler. The heat from burning heats water to form steam.

2.Steam Generation: The hot steam is taken to the turbine. Several blades fitted in the turbine rotate due to the pressure of steam.

• 3.Conversion of Mechanical Energy into Electrical Energy: The rotating turbine is connected to a generator. In the generator, mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy using magnets and conductors.

• 4.Electricity Distribution: Finally, the electricity produced is transmitted to distant places by stepping up or down the voltage with the help of transformers. This is a simple process, but in reality thermal power plants are quite complex. It uses pollution control systems to reduce pollution and various technologies to increase efficiency.

Types of Thermal Power Plants in India

There are many types of thermal power plants used for electricity generation in India. Let us know a little about these different types:

1.Coal-Based Thermal Power Plant: These are the most common thermal plants in India. In these, steam is produced by burning coal, and then electricity is generated from this steam. However, burning coal causes pollution, so the government is promoting the adoption of clean coal technology.

2.Gas-Based Thermal Power Plant: These plants use clean fuel like natural gas. Burning gas causes less pollution than coal, but natural gas is a relatively expensive fuel.

3.Diesel-Based Thermal Power Plant: These plants are usually small and are used to supply electricity in emergency situations or remote areas. Diesel fuel is even more expensive than other options, so they are rarely used.

4.Geothermal Thermal Power Plant: These plants generate electricity using the heat present within the earth. Geothermal energy is not used much in India yet, but it can play an important role as a clean energy option in the future.

5.Biomass-Based Thermal Power Plant: These plants generate electricity by burning organic matter such as agricultural residues or wood chips. Biomass is a renewable fuel, but it can cause some amount of pollution when burned.

As we just discussed, there are three main types of thermal power plants that are used to generate electricity in India. Let’s take a look at the installed capacity data as of January 2021:

Coal: 206404.50 MW – As we know, coal-based plants are the most common in India, and they also represent the largest share of the total capacity.

Gas: 24956.51 MW – Cleaner than coal, gas-based plants account for a significant share of the total capacity.

Liquid fuel (diesel): 509.71 MW – As we know, diesel is the most expensive fuel, so it is used less frequently and its contribution to the total capacity is quite low.

If we look at the overall capacity, the total installed capacity of all thermal plants in India as of January 2021 was 231870.72 MW. That’s quite a huge amount! And more importantly, the power produced by these plants is 71% of the total power generation of the country. This shows how important role thermal plants play in power generation in India.

List of Thermal Power Plants in India

The major thermal plants in India are listed in the following table by state:

Sure, here is the table listing the thermal power plants in India along with their capacities:

State	Thermal Power Plant	Capacity (MW)
Madhya Pradesh	Amarkantak Thermal Power Plant	450
	Satpura Thermal Power Plant	1,330
	Sanjay Gandhi, Birsinghpur Thermal Power Plant	1,340
	Shri Singaji Thermal Power Station Dongalia	2,520
	Vindhyachal Thermal Power Station	4,760
	Singrauli Super Thermal Power Station	2,000
Maharashtra	Amravati Thermal Power Plant	2,700
	Chandrapur Thermal Power Plant	2,920
	Khaperkheda Thermal Power Plant	1,340
	Tiroda Thermal Power Plant	3,300
	Solapur Super Thermal Power Station	1,320
	Mauda Super Thermal Power Plant	2,320
Uttar Pradesh	Anpara Thermal Power Plant	2,630
	Dadri Thermal Power Plant	1,820
	Feroz Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Plant	1,550
	National Capital Thermal Power Plant	2,000
	Obra Thermal Power Plant	1,094
	Rihand Super Thermal Power Plant	3,000
	Rosa Thermal Power Plant	1,200
	Tanda Thermal Power Station	1,760
Bihar	Barauni Thermal Power Station	720
	Patratu Thermal Power Station	840
	Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Project	2,340
Karnataka	Raichur Thermal Power Station	1,720
	Bellary Thermal Power Station	1,700
	Yermarus Thermal Power Station	1,600
	Udupi Thermal Power Plant	1,200
Chhattisgarh	Sipat Thermal Power Plant	2,980
	Lara Super Thermal Power Plant	1,600
	Korba Thermal Power Plant	2,600
	Bhilai Thermal Power Plant	500
Jharkhand	Bokaro Thermal Power Plant	630
	Patratu Thermal Power Plant	1,600
Rajasthan	Chhabra Thermal Power Plant	1,520
	Kalisindh Thermal Power Plant	1,200
	Kota Thermal Power Plant	1,240
	Suratgarh Super Thermal Power Plant	1,500
	Barsingsar Thermal Power Station	250
	Anta Thermal Power Station	413
	Ramgarh Gas Thermal Power Station	440
West Bengal	Durgapur Thermal Power Plant	1,000
	Farakka Thermal Power Plant	2,100
	Mejia Thermal Power Station	2,340
	Kolaghat Thermal Power Station	1,260
	Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station	1,050
	Durgapur Steel Thermal Power Station	1,000
	Budge Budge Thermal Power Plant	750
	Sagardighi Thermal Power Station	1,600
Tamil Nadu	Ennore Thermal Power Plant	450
	Mettur Thermal Power Plant	1,440
	Neyveli Thermal Power Station	2,490
	Tuticorin Thermal Power Station	1,050
	IND Barath Thermal Power Plant	1,200
Gujarat	Gandhinagar Thermal Power Plant	870
	Mudra Thermal Power Plant	4,620
	Sikka Thermal Power Plant	500
	Ukai Thermal Power Plant	1,110
	Wanakbori Thermal Power Plant	1,470
	Akrimota Thermal Power Station	250
	Kutch Lignite Thermal Power Station	1,040
	Sabarmati Thermal Power Station	400
Odisha	Hirakud Captive Thermal Power Plant	367.5
	Jharsuguda Thermal Power Plant	2,400
	Talcher Thermal Power Plant	3,000
Andhra Pradesh	Ramagundam Thermal Power Plant	2,600
	Simhadri Thermal Power Plant	2,000
Assam	Namrup Thermal Power Plant	133

(Note: The capacities mentioned are approximate and can vary slightly based on different sources and operational updates.)

largest thermal power plant in india

Here’s a list of the largest thermal power plants in India with their capacities in MW (MegaWatts) as of 2024:

Rank	Power Plant Name	State	Installed Capacity (MW)
1	Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station	Madhya Pradesh	4,760
2	Neyveli New Thermal Power Station	Tamil Nadu	4,400
3	Singrauli Super Thermal Power Station	Madhya Pradesh	4,000
4	Sasan Ultra Mega Power Plant	Madhya Pradesh	3,960
5	Talcher Super Thermal Power Station	Odisha	3,000
6	Rihand Thermal Power Station	Uttar Pradesh	2,000
7	Dadri Thermal Power Station	Uttar Pradesh	1,950
8	Anpara Thermal Power Station	Uttar Pradesh	2,370
9	Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station	Maharashtra	2,920
10	Tiroda Thermal Power Plant	Maharashtra	2,400

Note: This list is based on publicly available information and may not be exhaustive. Capacities may also change over time due to expansion or decommissioning of units.

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