NTPC’s Telangana Super Thermal Power Project Phase-I plans to address environmental concerns by disposing fly ash through a slurry pipeline.

As per a 2016 gazette amendment of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on fly ash disposal, among the various avenues of utilisation of fly ash, backfilling in mine voids/quarries shall be followed.

The Telangana Project plans to fill the void at the Medipally open-cast coal mine. The ash disposal system of the project complies with the Central Electricity Authority’s guidelines and follows latest environmental practices, NTPC claimed.

To move the ash to the mine void, NTPC is using a high-concentration slurry disposal technology which is safe without any ash spills and contamination, it claimed. Through this, ash will be transported through small, thick, welded pipes in an almost paste form in slower velocity by displacement method. This ensures almost nil chances of leakage and fugitive emission, the company said.

The system uses less than 20 per cent water compared with the conventional system and thus makes more water available for Ramagundam, near where the plant is situated.

As the mine void is 150 metres below the bed level of the Godavari river, there is no chance of contamination, the NTPC claimed. Based on technical feasibility, NTPC is acquiring land for the proposed ash pipeline project passing through Malkapur village.

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