NTPC Lara Stage-III: Public Hearing on 16 Jun 2026

What the latest step is

NTPC Limited’s Lara Super Thermal Power Project (Lara STPP) in Chhattisgarh is moving into its next regulatory milestone. A public hearing has been scheduled for 16 June 2026 for the Stage-III expansion, as per details shared around the local process in Korba. The expansion proposes adding two units of 800 MW each, taking the project’s planned installed capacity from 3,200 MW to 4,800 MW.

The hearing is being organised by the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board, which typically conducts such consultations as part of the environmental clearance process. For investors and the power sector, the update matters because Lara is already one of NTPC’s flagship coal-based assets and Stage-III would make it a much larger single-location station.

Current status of Stage-I and Stage-II

The Lara project has been planned in phases. Stage-I comprises two units of 800 MW each, and both are stated to be operational. Stage-II includes another two units of 800 MW each and is described as under construction.

With Stage-I and Stage-II together, the project totals 3,200 MW (4×800 MW). Separately, NTPC has previously disclosed investment approval for Lara STPP Stage-II (2×800 MW) at an appraised current estimated cost of ₹15,530 crore (also cited as ₹15,529.99 crore in one regulatory context).

What Stage-III adds and the technology details

Stage-III proposes two additional 800 MW units (2×800 MW), which would lift the final planned capacity to 4,800 MW. NTPC management has indicated the Stage-III units will be based on ultra-supercritical technology and will use an air-cooled condenser (ACC) system.

The project documentation notes that, after Stage-III, Lara’s installed capacity rises from 3,200 MW to 4,800 MW. It is also described as a regional power project intended to benefit western region states and Union Territories.

Land acquisition: what is stated in the documents

For Stage-III, the local note states land acquisition covering 212 hectares across 11 villages. The same material also mentions that a total of 1,039.09 hectares has been acquired for the project overall.

It also states that 40.89 hectares of government land was handed over to relevant villages as CPR land. Another report in the provided material says that the land already acquired by NTPC is sufficient and no additional land will be needed for the expansion. These statements indicate that land requirements have been discussed in more than one way across the available documents, and the public hearing process is expected to put the project footprint and land-use details on record.

Cost estimates: ₹19,168.95 crore vs other cited figures

The Stage-III expansion cost is estimated at ₹19,168.95 crore in the local hearing-related details. Separately, documents reviewed by Moneycontrol (as cited in the provided text) put Stage-III cost at around ₹15,500 crore, while also noting the construction timeline was not known.

For context, other project cost numbers in the provided material include Stage-I at ₹15,800 crore and Stage-II at ₹15,530 crore, with a statement that Stage-II would be built on the area already used for the first phase.

Environmental clearance and EIA process: key milestones

The provided material indicates that the project was granted Environmental Clearance by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) in May 2023. For Stage-III specifically, subsequent steps cited include efforts to secure an environmental impact study and formal scoping.

A timeline mentioned in the text includes reporting in January 2025 that NTPC was planning to add two additional 800 MW units and was seeking an environmental impact study for Stage-III. In February 2025, NTPC opened a bidding process to hire consultants for the EIA study. In August 2025, the EAC granted Terms of Reference (ToR) for Stage-III.

Tendering: main plant package and bid conditions

The provided information says NTPC issued the main plant package tender for Stage-III in November 2025. Another local update also mentions that the main plant package tender for the third stage was issued in September 2025.

Tender details included in the material state that NTPC invited open tenders for works related to Lara STPP Stage-III (2×800 MW), alongside packages for two other thermal projects. A bid security requirement of ₹100 crore (or USD 11,193,200) is stated, applicable separately for each project. Another tender extract notes an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of ₹100 crore (₹1,000,000,000), with an ePublished date of 24 November 2025 and bid opening scheduled for 30 November 2025.

Why 4,800 MW at one site is significant

With Stage-III, Lara STPP is described as becoming the biggest coal-fired thermal plant in the country, ahead of the 4,760 MW Vindhyachal facility in Madhya Pradesh, as per the provided Moneycontrol-related excerpt. In local reporting, it is also described as the largest power plant in Chhattisgarh once all six units are commissioned.

From a grid perspective, adding 1,600 MW at one location can be material for regional supply planning. But the practical impact will depend on commissioning schedules, regulatory approvals, and how quickly construction and evacuation arrangements progress.

Key facts at a glance

Timeline of cited approvals and tenders

Market impact and what investors track next

The immediate market relevance of this update is process-driven: a scheduled public hearing signals movement in the environmental approval chain for a large capex project. Investors typically track whether the project proceeds on the ₹19,168.95 crore estimate cited in the local documents or aligns closer to the ~₹15,500 crore figure cited elsewhere.

Other watchpoints are already visible in the tender extracts: bid security and EMD levels, the tendering route, and the stated debt-equity financing mix for Lara Stage-III. Beyond that, the public hearing and subsequent clearances will matter for timeline clarity, especially since one excerpt explicitly notes that the construction timeline for Stage-III was not known.

Conclusion

NTPC’s Lara STPP Stage-III is now headed for a public hearing on 16 June 2026, proposing two additional 800 MW units to take planned capacity to 4,800 MW. The documents cite ultra-supercritical technology with ACC, and capex estimates ranging from ₹19,168.95 crore to around ₹15,500 crore in different references. The next confirmed step is the public hearing, after which updates on environmental approvals and tender progress will be key milestones to track.