At NTPC, ash is not treated as a mere industrial by-product but as a strategic resource with vast potential for sustainable infrastructure and environmental stewardship. Through the Corporate Ash Management Group, established with the vision of “No Ash to Dyke”, NTPC has evolved ash utilization from a compliance obligation into a core enabler of circular economy practices and national development. High utilization conserves land that would otherwise be used for ash ponds, reduces demand for topsoil and aggregates, and embeds circular-economy principles in the core of power generation. In FY 2025-26, NTPC comfortably exceeded the 100% utilization mandated by the MoEF&CC Notification of 31.12.2021.
Ash Utilization — Five-Year Trend
Figure 1: NTPC Group ash generation, utilization (LMT) and AU % — FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26
Over the last five financial years NTPC has nurtured a remarkable and consistent improvement in ash utilization, driven by strategic planning, stronger demand creation, better logistics and stakeholder engagement. After crossing 100% in FY 2024-25 (100.06%), the Group reached 106.66% in FY 2025-26.
Avenues for Ash Utilization: Creating Value Across Sectors
Figure 2: Avenue-wise ash utilization — NTPC Group, FY 2025-26
NTPC’s Contribution to National Road Projects
NTPC has played a pioneering role in embedding fly ash into the nation’s road infrastructure story. Through early adoption of ash-in-road initiatives, robust coordination with executing agencies, and advocacy for regulatory frameworks that encourage sustainable material usage, NTPC has become one of the largest suppliers of ash to national road and flyover projects. In FY 2025-26 alone, road and rail embankment projects utilized 641.11 LMT of NTPC Group ash, 60.03% of total utilization — making NTPC a strategic partner in nation-building.
Figure 3: Ash-based road and embankment construction using NTPC fly ash and pond ash
Environmental Stewardship through Ash Management
By replacing ash dumping with productive pathways such as mine backfilling, land reclamation and construction materials, NTPC mitigates land degradation and reduces its ecological footprint. In FY 2025-26, 73.19 LMT of ash was used to fill abandoned mine voids and 36.89 LMT for land development — restoring degraded land, preventing subsidence and positioning ash as a tool for landscape restoration. NTPC’s continuing engagement with mining companies and the Ministries of Coal and Mines, strengthen this commitment to community and ecological well-being.
Rail-Based Transportation Milestones
Railways have become a cornerstone for taking ash to distant demand centres. With Indian Railways, NTPC is bulk transportation of ash over long-haul routes, which is the safe, efficient and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
Figure 4: Ash transportation by rail — rake loading of ash using BTAP, BCCW, BOXN and BLC wagons
Strategic Initiatives and Stakeholder Engagement
Strategic engagement underpins NTPC’s success story in ash utilization. NTPC’s holistic approach brings together government policymakers, infrastructure developers, logistics partners, and ash users across sectors. Platforms such as national fly ash conferences, interactive workshops, and policy forums enable knowledge sharing, resolve operational bottlenecks, and accelerate uptake of ash in priority construction segments — turning challenges into shared opportunities.
Events & Initiatives
In April 2025, the Ash Management Meet 2025 was organized at PMI, Noida, and inaugurated by the Director (Operations), with the event emphasizing knowledge sharing and reinforcing the corporate mission of “No Ash to Dyke”. On 25 August 2025, the National Conference on Fly Ash Utilization and Transportation was hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to discuss sustainable and cost-effective logistics models. On March 2026, NTPC participated as Gold Sponsor in AshCon — National Conference on Sustainable Fly Ash Utilization at India Habitat Centre, contributing domain expertise on beneficiation technologies and high-end applications.
Figure 5: National Conference on Fly Ash Utilization and Transportation in collaboration with Indian Railways