High demand for fly-ash bricks

Visakhapatnam: Fly-ash brick industry is receiving a big boost in the district as the raw material is available free of cost. Simhadri Super Thermal Power Plant (SSTPP) of NTPC is supplying fly-ash free of cost to the entrepreneurs. Hence, a greater number of fly ash brick industries are coming up in the district.

With the construction industry using 90 per cent of fly-ash bricks, the demand has been increasing for the bricks in various shapes. The SSTPP is a coal-based power plant with a total installed capacity of the plant is 2,000 MW with four units each with 500 MW. In fact, disposal of the ash in the thermal power plant is a big issue and majority of the thermal power plants reserving the ash in water ponds.

As the ash reserves increasing, it has become a serious threat to the environment, therefore, power plants are supplying ash free of cost and promoting fly ash bricks at a large scale. Initially, the construction industry rejected the usage of the fly ash bricks. However, after the construction of apartments and multi-storeyed buildings increased, builders are promoting the fly ash bricks as they are cheaper.

Till 2010, there are only 25 major fly ash brick industries in the district and during the past eight years, the number increased to over 200 in the city and in the rural pockets. Entrepreneurs, who wish to take the ash from the plant, have to arrange lorries and the SSTPP management is giving the raw material free of cost.

Meanwhile, during the past few weeks, the coal from Odisha is not coming to the plant due to various reasons, including heavy rains and other reasons. The plant is now facing less coal stocks and maintaining with reserve stocks.

“We are supplying ash both wet and dry free of cost. However, due to coal shortage, presently fly ash reserves coming down. Due to the shortage of the coal, unit-1 (500 MW) was temporarily shut down and presently three units only generating power,” a senior official of SSTPP told The Hans India.

Meanwhile, the demand for fly ash bricks in the construction activity is on the rise. Collector Pravin Kumar directed the SSTPP officials to ensure fly ash to over 200 brick industries. The Collector also directed the District Industries Centre (DIC) General Manager A Ramalingaraju to ensure raw material to the brick industry from the SSTPP.