NTPC Limited

This award recognises a state-owned utility that has turned one of India’s largest coal-fired power stations into a testbed for low‑carbon innovation. In October 2025, NTPC produced India’s first methanol from flue‑gas CO₂ captured at its 500 MW Vindhyachal plant, using Carbon Clean’s modular CaptureX technology and green hydrogen to synthesise the fuel at a rate of 20 tonnes of CO₂ per day. Simultaneously, NTPC is driving energy efficiency through the deployment of AI‑based predictive maintenance and digital twin technologies that analyse real‑time operational data, prevent equipment anomalies, automate maintenance and optimise boiler heat rates, resulting in reduced downtime and lower carbon emissions.

Building on that success, NTPC selected the same capture technology for a second project at its Simhadri plant (25 tonnes per day for ethanol production), while its renewable arm crossed 85.5 GW of total commercial capacity and expanded green‑hydrogen pilots across ports and refineries.

By proving that coal assets can be repurposed for carbon capture, digital optimisation and renewable growth, NTPC has demonstrated a replicable pathway for one of the world’s most carbon‑intensive power sectors, advancing India’s goal of net‑zero by 2070 without prematurely stranding its existing workforce or infrastructure. For pioneering this just-transition model at the scale of one of the world's most carbon-intensive power sectors, NTPC Limited receives this recognition.

Score: 92

Reference: https://carbonherald.com/ntpc-and-carbon-clean-produce-indias-first-methanol-from-captured-co2/