IB Thermal, March 28, 2025: Odisha Power Generation Corporation Ltd. (OPGC), has achieved a major milestone in sustainable ash utilization by inducting its first dedicated BTAP (Bogie Tank Alumina Powder) wagon rake under Indian Railways’ Liberalized Special Freight Train Operator (LSFTO) Scheme. This marks the first time in Odisha that a power producer is using fully enclosed wagons for fly ash transportation, a method previously utilized only by major aluminum producers for alumina powder transport.
The inaugural rake was ceremonially inducted on March 27, 2025, by OPGC’s Director (Operations) Manas Ranjan Rout during a traditional puja at the Merry-Go-Round (MGR) site of IB Thermal Power Station (ITPS), Banharpali. The event was attended senior officials of OPGC. This dedicated BTAP rake will now enable the safe and pollution-free transportation of dry fly ash to Dalmia Cement Bharat Ltd.’s Rajgangpur plant in Sundargarh, Odisha, strengthening OPGC’s commitment to 100% eco-friendly fly ash utilization.
To ensure long-term sustainable ash disposal, OPGC has signed a 14-year agreement with Dalmia Cement Bharat Ltd. and Ambuja Cement (Adani Group). The introduction of BTAP and BCFC (Bogie Covered Fly Ash/Cement) wagons, which are fully enclosed and equipped with a compressed air-assisted discharge system, ensures zero dust pollution during transportation.
With the induction of this first BTAP rake, OPGC will now be able to dispatch approximately 45,000 tons of dry fly ash per month to Dalmia Cement. This capacity will increase to around 1 lakh tons per month once the second BTAP rake is inducted. Additionally, in the second quarter of FY 2025-26, OPGC will introduce six BCFC rakes in collaboration with Ambuja Cement, enabling the dispatch of two fly ash rakes per day and increasing total fly ash transportation to approximately 1.8 lakh tons per month from IB Thermal Power Station.
As part of its long-term strategy, OPGC plans to induct eight dedicated rakes under the LSFTO scheme, including two BTAP and six BCFC rakes, to transport fly ash to cement plants across Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. This initiative reinforces OPGC’s commitment to environmental sustainability, reducing its carbon footprint, and building strategic partnerships for responsible fly ash utilization in cement production and other eco-friendly applications.