Prime Minister dedicates to the nation, India’s highest-rating BHEL-supplied 540 MWe Nuclear power generating units at Tarapur Atomic Power Station

The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh today dedicated to the nation, the 1,080 MWe Nuclear Power Plant (2x540 MWe) at Tarapur in Maharashtra, equipped with the country’s highest rating power generating equipment, manufactured and commissioned by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

BHEL has played a major role in this project belonging to the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) family by commissioning these units that are the single largest rating power generating units of any type viz thermal, hydro, nuclear or gas, operating in the country.

BHEL’s scope of work in the project included manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of major equipment like Steam Turbine, Turbo Generator, TG and Secondary Cycle piping and Moisture Separator Reheaters (MSR) along with associated auxiliaries for both the units and Steam Generator for one unit.

Significantly, with this, of the 17 Nuclear power generating units operating at six locations in the country, BHEL’s contribution is 3,280 MWe, which is 80% of the country’s installed Nuclear capacity of 4,120 MWe.

Under international competitive bidding (ICB), BHEL has also recently bagged a prestigious contract for the Turbine Generator and secondary side equipment for the first Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) of 500 MWe rating, being set up by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. The unit is scheduled for commissioning during the 11th Plan.

BHEL has been a major partner in NPCIL’s vision to achieve self-reliance in nuclear energy and its association with NPCIL began in 1970 with the development of technology and manufacture of prototype channel covers and heavy water headers.

For the first 540 MWe Nuclear sets based on PHWR technology at Tarapur, the design and technology for TG sets and Steam Generators was jointly developed along with BHEL’s collaborators. This approach has helped indigenous vendors like BHEL in faster absorption of technology. The development of indigenous vendors has ensured long term support to Nuclear power stations in case of problems and to facilitate easy availability of spares without significant foreign exchange outflow.

BHEL has proven turnkey capabilities for execution of Thermal, Hydro, Gas and Nuclear Power Projects. It possesses the technology and capability to manufacture Nuclear Steam Generators, Steam Turbines and Generators along with associated auxiliaries up to a rating of 540 MWe. BHEL is also gearing up for the manufacture of equipment for higher capacity nuclear sets of 700 MWe and above ratings in view of the substantial Nuclear Capacity expansion envisaged in the country based on such sets.