NLC India Expands into Renewables, Storage and Critical Minerals

NLC India Ltd (NLCIL), a Navratna company under the Ministry of Coal, is expanding beyond its traditional mining and thermal power operations with plans covering renewable energy, battery storage, pumped storage, green hydrogen, carbon capture and critical minerals.

The company currently has 8,405 MW of power generation capacity and a mining capacity of 59.10 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). It plans to raise its total mining capacity to 104.35 MTPA by 2030 and 115.85 MTPA by 2047.

As part of its thermal power expansion, NLCIL is developing a 1,980 MW supercritical project at Ghatampur. It is also developing ultra-supercritical pit-head thermal power projects at Talabira with a capacity of 2,400 MW and Machhakatta with a capacity of 4,000 MW.

The company is also expanding its First Mile Connectivity (FMC) infrastructure to improve coal transportation and reduce dependence on road-based movement. It is commissioning 63.5 MTPA of FMC capacity across rail corridors at Pachwara South, North Dhadu (West), Talabira, Machhakatta and New Patrapara (South).

On the renewable energy front, NLCIL is targeting more than 10 GW of renewable capacity by 2030 from its current operational portfolio of around 1.8 GW. The company has set a longer-term target of 32.7 GW by 2047 and aims to increase the share of clean energy in its generation portfolio to 50 percent.

Its renewable energy arm, NLCIL Renewables Ltd (NIRL), is developing multiple battery energy storage projects. These include a 250 MW/500 MWh project in Tamil Nadu, a 300 MW/1,800 MWh project with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in Rajasthan, a 275 MW/550 MWh project with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) in Gujarat and a 50 MW/200 MWh project with West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (WBSEDCL).

NLCIL is also targeting large-scale pumped storage projects in Tamil Nadu and Odisha to support grid balancing and address variability associated with renewable power generation.

The company is pursuing projects in emerging clean-energy technologies as part of its diversification strategy. At Neyveli, it is constructing a 4 MW solar-powered proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser-based green hydrogen pilot plant.

NLCIL is also working with IIT Madras on advanced carbon capture systems. In the critical minerals segment, the company has secured composite exploration licences for phosphorite and limestone in Chhattisgarh and vanadium and titanium in Telangana.

It is also pursuing international opportunities in critical minerals through Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL).

The expansion is part of NLCIL's broader strategy to diversify its business while continuing to support India's power and energy security requirements through thermal, renewable and emerging clean-energy technolo