BHEL achieves another landmark; First consignment of supercritical boiler components for 800 MW Krishnapatnam project flagged off

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) achieved a major milestone today with the despatch of the first consignment of supercritical boiler components for the 2x800 MW power project at Krishnapatnam in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh.

Mr. B.P. Rao, Chairman and Managing Director, BHEL, flagged off the consignment in the presence of Mr. A.V. Krishnan, Executive Director, BHEL Trichy Complex, and other senior officials, from BHEL's High Pressure Boiler Plant at Trichy.

These are the first 800 MW supercritical boilers being set up by BHEL against a Rs.25,000 Million order placed on the company by Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Limited (APPDCL), a joint venture of APGenco and ILFS for setting up the 2x800 MW Steam Generator (SG) package at Krishnapatnam. BHEL had demonstrated its international competitiveness by securing this order by outbidding the L&T-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) combine in a global tender.

BHEL’s scope of work in the project envisages manufacture, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of the Steam Generators and associated auxiliaries including Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs). For the project, the supercritical Boilers will be manufactured by BHEL at its Tiruchirapalli works in Tamil Nadu, while the company’s Hyderabad and Ranipet plants will supply the Coal Mills and the ESPs, respectively.

Supercritical technology ensures lower coal consumption, minimum emission, eco-friendly and efficient power generation. BHEL has been promoting joint venture companies to build, own and operate supercritical thermal power plants in association with state utilities like TNEB, KPCL and Mahagenco.

BHEL has upgraded its technology base from sub-critical sets to supercritical sets of 660/800MW and above. The company has ongoing collaboration agreements with Alstom, France and Siemens, Germany, with a technology transfer arrangement. This will enable the country to be self-reliant in the field of supercritical thermal power plants.

BHEL has been committed to the nation’s power development programme and has reaffirmed its commitment to the Indian Power Sector by equipping itself for the future, by way of technology, facilities and trained manpower to meet the country’s power forecast for the 11th Plan and beyond. For this, it has already enhanced its manufacturing capacity to 10,000 MW per annum and is further augmenting it to 15,000 MW per annum which is proceeding apace and plans are afoot to hike it further to 20,000 MW by 2011-12.

___________________________________________________________________________