Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has secured a major contract for the electro-mechanical equipment package for a 720 Mw (4x170 Mw) Hydroelectric project in Bhutan.
The order envisages manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of the electro-mechanical equipment for the 720 Mw Mangdechhu Hydroelectric project. The value of the contract is Rs 594 crore plus Balance of Plant on cost plus basis, with which, the total contract value will be in the range of Rs 730 to Rs 750 crore.
The project is being set-up under a bilateral agreement between the Government of India, and the Royal Government of Bhutan.
The order has been placed on BHEL by Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority (MHPA), Bhutan. Significantly, after Punatsangchhu-I & II projects, this is BHEL’s third consecutive contract for the main electro-mechanical package in Bhutan and reflects the customer's confidence in BHEL's technological excellence and capabilities in the execution of power projects of this magnitude, BHEL said in a statement.
Bhutan is one of the key export territories of BHEL, where it has a predominant presence since the last 25 years in the power generation segment. The company has successfully installed its electro-mechanical equipment in Chhukha (336 Mw), Kurichhu (60 Mw) and Tala (1020 Mw) hydroelectric projects in Bhutan. These projects today account for 95% of the total power generating capacity in Bhutan, which is a testimony of BHEL’s strong presence and acceptability.
For the present contract, four Pelton turbines and generators of 170 Mw each and associated equipment will be manufactured and supplied by BHEL’s Bhopal facility while the Control system will be manufactured and supplied by BHEL’s Electronic Division at Bangalore.
Significantly, to date, BHEL has contracted equipment for about 550 units of hydropower equipment, enabling generation of more than 26,000 Mw of power, out of which, equipment for about 5,000 Mw generation capacity has been contracted outside India.
Besides, Bhutan, BHEL overseas hydro installations include projects in Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Nepal etc. BHEL also has on going Hydro projects in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and DR Congo.