NTPC floats tender to acquire stressed assets

NTPC Limited has floated a tender to acquire stressed thermal assets across the country. As per the tender, only those coal-based power plants will be acquired which have been commissioned after April 1, 2014 and have a generating capacity of at least 500 MW. At present, out of the 40 GW of stressed assets, about 12 GW of coal-based plants, worth Rs 500 billion, have a commercial date of operation later than April 1, 2014. The tender document further mandates that the plant must have been designed for operating on 100 per cent domestic coal for the rated capacity and must have an availability of coal for 85 per cent plant load factor or capacity utilisation.