NTPC, IRCTC ink pact to set up Rail Neer unit at Simhadri power plant

State-owned power giant NTPC inked pact with IRCTC Friday to set up a unit to produce packaged drinking water (Rail Neer) at its Simhadri Super Thermal Power Project in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

"A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been entered between NTPC & IRCTC on 05th October 2018 for setting up a manufacturing facility for packaged drinking water (Rail Neer) by IRCTC at NTPC's Simhadri Super Thermal Power Project at Simhadri, district Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh," a company statement said.

According to the statement, the facility will utilise patented Flash Desalination Technology (FDT) developed by NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance (NETRA), the Research & Development arm of NTPC.

The technology has been developed for production of quality water (desalinate/ distilled/ drinking water) from sea / brackish water utilising waste heat from flue gas of power plant. NTPC has already set-up a facility for production of 100 tonnes per day of desalinated seawater at NTPC Simhadri STPP using this FDT technology, which is running at full capacity since March 2017.

The NTPC and IRCTC are also exploring the feasibility to set up similar facility at other locations like Talcher and Solapur.