BHEL demonstrates its International Competitiveness; Secures Order for 520 MW Hydro Electric Project in Himachal Pradesh

New Delhi, February 8: Against stiff competition from leading French, Austrian and German multinational giants, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has secured a major contract for setting up a 520 MW (4x130 MW) Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Himachal Pradesh.

Valued at over Rs.4,000 Million, the prestigious order for Parbati HEP, Stage-III, has been placed on BHEL by NHPC. The order has been won by the company against International Competitive Bidding (ICB), as its offer was found techno-economically the best. With this, NHPC has once again reposed confidence in BHEL's proven technological excellence and capability in executing projects of this magnitude.

Located at Bihali in Kullu district, about 250 kilometres from Chandigarh, the underground powerhouse will generate electricity utilising the waters of the river Sainj, a tributary of Beas river. The project is slated for commissioning in a tight schedule of 50 months.

BHEL's scope of work in the contract envisages design, manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning of complete electromechanical works for the project. Major equipment to be supplied includes four high-head Francis Hydro Turbines with matching Synchronous Generators; Digital Governors; Microprocessor-based controls, monitoring and protection system with state-of-the-art technology, besides other associated equipment and auxiliaries.

For NHPC, BHEL is also executing its first ever mega hydro power project contract for the 800 MW Parbati HEP, Stage-II, to be equipped with the country's largest capacity (4x200 MW) Pelton hydro turbines, besides the 120 MW Sewa HEP, Stage-II in J&K.

BHEL has so far designed, manufactured, supplied and commissioned 386 hydro generating sets totalling to more than 16,500 MW in the country. Currently, the company is executing several hydro projects in the country that are in various stages of commissioning.

BHEL has also commissioned 40 hydro sets corresponding to 2,150 MW outside India, in various countries including Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, New Zealand, Azerbaijan and Bhutan. Presently, six hydro sets totalling to 444 MW, are in different stages of design, manufacture, supply and installation in Taiwan, Afghanistan and Bhutan.