New Delhi: The National Thermal Power Corporation—the country’s largest energy producer—has come out with renewed Biodiversity Policy to establish a comprehensive vision and guiding principle for conservation, restoration and enhancement of biodiversity.
The policy is also designed to support all the professionals of the NTPC Group to help them contribute toward the achieving the targets set in this field.
Officials said that the NTPC has always been mindful about avoiding operations in areas with the highest biodiversity value and judiciously selecting project sites. “The company will further strengthen its current efforts to achieve a ’no net loss’ of biodiversity at all of its currently operating sites and ensure there is a net positive balance wherever applicable,” said the company’s public relations officer (PRO).
NTPC was the first public sector undertaking to have issued its Biodiversity Policy in 2018 and became a member of the India Business & Biodiversity Initiative (IBBI).
The company is raising awareness among local communities, employees, and its associates across the supply chain about biodiversity through project-specific and national level trainings in collaboration with experts as part of its capacity building exercise.
“NTPC will be adhering to legal compliance with respect to biodiversity by complying with rules and regulations related to the environment, forest, wildlife, coastal zone, and green cover during planning and execution of its projects,” said the PRO.
The NTPC has signed a five-year agreement with Andhra Pradesh Forest Department for conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles in the coastline of Andhra Pradesh. With the Financial Contribution of Rs. 4.6 Crores and increased participation of community, the number of hatchings released in sea water as increased about 2.25 times since its intervention.
