Human capital, when guided with clarity and given freedom of action, seldom requires the use of spurs,” observes R.M. Radhakrishnan, general manager, commercial, NTPC. He joined the company in 1980 after completing his mechanical engineering from Madurai Kamaraj University. He has worked in the corporate operation services division, developing systems and standard documents for the commissioning, and operations and maintenance (O&M) of 200 MW/500 MW units, and the development of performance guarantee test procedures for turbines and auxiliaries in association with CEGB, UK. He also has rich experience in the erection and commissioning of gas and steam turbines, and auxiliaries.
Radhakrishnan played an instrumental role in the Ramagundam super thermal power station (STPS) winning the Central Electricity Authority’s award for excellent operation and efficiency, successively from 2000 onwards, systematically improving operating parameters such as heat rate, specific oil consumption, and auxiliary power consumption. He headed the energy efficiency and management of the 2,600 MW power station from 1998 to 2011 and subsequently was responsible for fuel management of the plant.
As general manager, fuel management, his major challenges involved the coordination of the railways and coal companies, and the management of coal handling facilities. For Radhakrishnan, one of his most challenging assignments was fulfilling the Ramagundam STPS’s coal requirement during the historic Singareni strike for Telangana.
He has been responsible for NTPC’s commercial performance in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry since 2014. NTPC supplies 2,505 MW round-the-clock power to Tamil Nadu and 200 MW to Puducherry at below Rs 3 per kWh, resulting in an annual billing of Rs 30 billion to Tamil Nadu and Rs 2.4 billion to Puducherry.
He has trained in cleaner fossil fuel technology (supercritical) with the United States Agency for International Development, and in the O&M of gas turbines and auxiliaries with ABB Germany.
In his spare time, Radhakrishnan likes to read and keep himself updated on current affairs. Talking about his life goals, he says that later in life he would like to contribute to improving the energy efficiency situation in Tamil Nadu without any monetary interest. Radhakrishnan’s family includes his wife and their two daughters, both of whom have completed their engineering and are working currently.