NTPC’s Rihand Super Thermal Power Station is one of the largest coal-fired generating stations in the country, with six units of 500 MW each totalling 3,000 MW. The plant has been in continuous operation since the late 1980s and is a strategic asset for power supply to the northern grid. BuildAid was engaged for structural diagnostic work on selected plant structures – including critical RCC structures associated with the boiler, turbine and balance-of-plant areas.
A thermal power plant of this scale presents an aggressive structural environment: continuous high temperatures, fly-ash and sulphate deposition, vibration from rotating machinery, and limited access during operation. With six generating units to be kept online, all diagnostic work had to be scheduled within narrow planned-maintenance windows, demanding precise mobilisation, an experienced testing crew, and a turnaround that respected the plant’s outage plan.
BuildAid’s team carried out structured visual inspection, photographic distress mapping, and a programme of NDT including UPV, Rebound Hammer, cover-meter, half-cell potential and carbonation depth checks. Where required, cores were extracted for petrographic and compressive strength analysis. The findings were used to develop a prioritised repair and protective coating strategy aligned with NTPC’s plant maintenance protocols.