With the recent power cuts due to coal shortage making the headlines, the spotlight has turned to how some industries in Tamil Nadu has established captive power plants over the years to meet their requirements.
For instance, Ramco Cements uses a combination of thermal, wind and other sources across its plants for captive power generation, which helps it meet 100% of its power requirement. Its captive mix includes 170 MW of thermal power, 25 MW of waste heat recovery system and 170 MW of wind energy. It also has a diesel generator capable of producing 70 MW-80 MW in backup power.
A.V. Dharmakrishnan, CEO, Ramco Cements, says the company is not affected by coal shortage and has a sufficient stock. But higher coal prices have pushed up the cost of captive power generation.
