Thermal power plants in Maharashtra

Maharashtra is one of the central Indian states where a considerable amount of electricity is generated, mainly for domestic consumption. Over the years, several thermal power plants have been set up in the state since it receives the supply of crude oil and natural gas in abundance. Besides, these power plants are located mainly on the outskirts, helping different corporations to include heavy power generators and grid overlays. Due to these favourable circumstances, there are many thermal power plants in Maharashtra. The Maharashtrian government has implemented several rules to ensure that these power plants can thrive and continue to provide electricity in the coming years. 

What is a thermal power plant?

A thermal power plant utilises fuel sources like coal, petroleum, natural gas, and others to provide electricity in huge volumes. The electric energy is then fed to the grid, where the voltage is increased and then distributed to different centres through either high-tension cables or optical wires. The thermal power stations are classified based on the fuel or power source used. Here is a brief list of classifications of the thermal stations from where electricity is produced for residential and industrial areas. 

1. Coal-based power plants: Utilise coal as the primary power source.

2. Petroleum-based power plants: Use either crude oil or refined petrol and diesel for combustion.

3. Gas thermal power plants: Here, natural gas extracted from below the ocean floor is used to generate power. 

4. Nuclear power plants: Here, the heat energy given out due to nuclear reactions is used to generate electricity.

5. Solar power plants: Rather than utilising exhausting natural resources, these power plants rely on solar energy.

How does a thermal power plant work?

The working mechanisms of all thermal power plants are quite similar. Below is a brief description of how heat energy is converted into electrical power in these plants. 

Steam thermal power plant

• First, crude oil or coal is fed to the incinerator, and natural gas is fed to the boiler.

• These compounds are subjected to combustion at high temperatures to generate enough heat energy. 

• This heat energy is then allowed to heat the water stored in the reservoir. 

• As the water is heated, steam is generated at about 600°C. 

• The steam then rotates the propeller in the turbine, which further transfers mechanical power to the generator.

• The generator converts the mechanical power into electric energy, whose power is further enhanced via the transformer. 

• Once the desired voltage is achieved through step-up transformers, it is fed to the power grid for transmission. 

Combined thermal power plants

• First, the fuel is fed to the combustion unit, where the components are burnt at a very high temperature. 

• The gases produced after burning these hydrocarbons have a high amount of heat that rotates the gas turbine’s propeller. 

• On the other hand, the heat energy is fed to the water reservoir for boiling. 

• As steam is produced, it forces the propeller to rotate further. 

• As a result, the turbine collects mechanical energy from dual sources and transfers the same to the generator.

• The generator’s primary function is to convert mechanical energy to electric energy.

List of thermal power plants in Maharashtra 

Maharashtra’s largest thermal power plant is the Chandrapur Super thermal power station. It has the capacity of producing 2920 MW of power. Five generators of 500 MW capacity and two generators of 210 MW are present at this power plant. Here, water is sourced from Chargaon and Erai dams, while the fuel supply is sourced from the nearest coal mines. 

Apart from this plant, there are other names too on the long thermal power plants in Maharashtra list, like: 

1. Tiroda Power Plant

2. Nashik Thermal Power Station

3. Paras Thermal Power Station

4. Bhusawal Thermal Power Plant

5. Koradi Super Thermal Power Plant

6. Solapur Super Thermal Power Plant

7. Wardha Power Company Ltd

8. Adani Dahanu Thermal Power Station

9. Jindal Thermal Power Plant

What are the advantages of thermal power plants?

Despite having more coal-based plants in Maharashtra, the advantages of thermal power industrial units are many. Some of them are listed below:

• Setting up the thermal power plants is easy as their operations don’t rely on natural phenomena like solar radiations, strong winds, etc. 

• The efficiency of combined thermal power plants is more than hydro or wind power plants. 

• The list of thermal power plants in Maharashtra proves that the companies provide 25% of the total consumed energy. 

Conclusion 

With such a long list of thermal power plants in Maharashtra, the state can generate massive electric power. All these power plants are under the jurisdiction of NPTC and managed by the Maharashtrian board. As the environmental concerns are growing each day, the government is trying hard to ensure that sustainable forms of energy sources can be implemented with the thermal power plants. This is why several power plants are being loaded with solar panels on their roofs to reduce the pressure on non-renewable resources. Apart from this, several modern appliances and generators are added to the existing power plants to ensure that the energy production efficiency can be improved, but not at the cost of the environment.