The NTPC’s Solapur power plant has run into trouble with the Maharashtra government insisting that the company should use recycled water for the plant’s operation. A thermal power plant requires a consistent stream of pollution-free high-quality water to operate effectively. Water only of a specific conductivity is used in the boiler.

The move is being opposed by NTPC personnel, as they fear that recycled water could damage critical equipment.

The 1,320-MW advanced super critical technology thermal power plant is being built at Fatetawadi village near Solapur city in south-eastern Maharashtra with an investment about ₹9,500 crore in the plant.  The first unit of 660 MW is planned to be operational by February-March 2016.

Water to the plant would be supplied by a 120-km pipeline, which will lift water from the Ujani dam. Construction of the underground pipeline is an expensive affair and has already run into major right-of-way issues.    

Maharashtra, which is reeling under a severe drought, has asked NTPC management to use recycled water. It would be from a water recycling facility set up by local authorities in Solapur. It is understood that the Maharashtra had committed fresh water.

At the facility, sewage water from Solapur city would be recycled and sent to Fatetawadi. The water quality from such facilities is not up to the mark. It has dissolved solids, which can corrode critical equipment such as turbines, the officials said.