NTPC eyes $50 billion capex to transform into a complete energy company

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₹4.17 trillion) over the next 10 years to become a true energy company from just a generator of power, according to two people aware of the company's plans. The people said that India's biggest power generation company will spend $5 billion each year over 10 years to foray into production of various clean fuels and also towards increasing its power generation capacity.

“The company is looking at a diversified role where NTPC may (methaphorically) stand for ‘national transport, power and chemicals’," the first person cited above said on condition of anonymity. "There are major plans for methanol, ethanol, green hydrogen for transportation and also sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), for which it is already in talks with some airlines." NTPC will undertake these activities itself with no plans for a subsidiary currently, although green hydrogen would be produced through its existing subsidiary NTPC Green Energy Ltd.

Queries sent to NTPC remained unanswered till press time. Sustainable aviation fuel has been a focus area for energy companies with the government announcing an indicative target of 1% SAF blending in jet fuel by 2027, which may gradually be increased to 2% by 2028 for international flights.

Already, oil refining and marketing companies such as Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) have forayed into the space with research underway for various modes of SAF production. For the production and adoption of methanol as a clean fuel, NTPC is in talks with several shipping lines, the people cited above said.