BHEL wins order for 444 MW Hydro Electric Project in Uttarakhand

In the face of stiff international competition, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has secured a prestigious contract for setting up a 444 MW Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in the state of Uttarakhand.

Valued at Rs.4,220 Million, the order for setting up of Hydro Generating sets and associated Electro-Mechanical works for the 444 MW Vishnugad Pipalkoti HEP has been placed on BHEL by THDCIL (formerly known as Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited).

Significantly, this is the second major order, bagged by BHEL, for a hydro electric project in Uttarakhand in 2014. Earlier, an order for the 2x60 MW Vyasi HEP was received from Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) in March, 2014.

Located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, Vishnugad Pipalkoti HEP is a run of the river scheme on the river Alaknanda. The project comprises four hydro generating sets of 111 MW capacity each, with vertical Francis turbines and matching hydro generators.

BHEL’s scope of work in the contract envisages Engineering, Procurement and Construction of all hydro generating sets and associated electro mechanical works and is to be executed in a tight schedule of 48 months. While the hydro generating sets shall be supplied by BHEL’s Bhopal unit, the transformers and Control & Monitoring system will be supplied by the company’s Jhansi unit and Electronics Division, Bangalore, respectively. The erection & commissioning of the equipment shall be carried out by BHEL’s Power Sector - Northern Region.

BHEL has a long standing association with THDCIL. In the past, BHEL has carried out erection and commissioning of four units at the 1,000 MW Tehri Dam HEP of THDCIL, along with supply of generator transformers and busducts. The four units were commissioned by BHEL in 2006-07.

BHEL has also supplied and installed Electro-Mechanical equipment for the 400 MW Koteshwar HEP of THDCIL, which was commissioned in 2011-12. BHEL's efforts in the commissioning of two units of Koteshwar HEP in less than 6 months after the power plant was flooded were highly appreciated by the customer. With this order, the customer has once again reposed confidence in BHEL's proven technological excellence and capability in executing hydro electric projects.

Over the years, BHEL has contributed significantly to the hydro generating capacity of the country, with 18,760 MW of its sets already in operation. Further, BHEL is executing hydro power projects of around 9,500 MW, including projects of 3,000 MW outside India, which are under various stages of implementation.