BHEL bags Rs 430 crore modernisation contracts for hydroelectric plants

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has secured two renovation & modernisation (R&M) contracts, worth around Rs 430 Crore, of hydroelectric plants (HEPs). The company has won orders for the R&M of the 6x60 MW Balimela HEP of Odisha Hydro Power Corporation Limited (OHPC) and the 3x60 MW Bairasiul HEP of National Hydro Power Corporation Limited (NHPC). 

The units at both Balimela and Bairasiul have been in operation for over 35 years and the R&M of these units will result in restoration of output capacity, improvement in efficiency and reduction in auxiliary power consumption, in addition to leading to better plant availability. 

BHEL’s scope of work in the orders envisages design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, dismantling, erection, testing and commissioning of critical parts of turbines, generators, governors, controls & instrumentation, protection and balance of plant (BoP). Major equipment for these contracts will be manufactured and supplied by BHEL’s plants at Bhopal, Jhansi and Bengaluru. 

The normal life expectancy of a hydroelectric plant is considered to be 30-35 years. In the present scenario of the resource constraint in the country, renovation & modernisation and uprating of existing hydroelectric projects is considered to be the best option, as this is cost effective and requires much lesser time than setting up of greenfield hydro power projects. 

BHEL’s footprint in hydropower account for 23 GW of hydro sets commissioned, and 6 GW of hydro sets under execution in India and abroad. These sets, aggregating to more than 500 in number at 200 different power stations in India and abroad, are delivering customised solutions in the most challenging of terrains - from the Himalayas in India and Bhutan to faraway lands of New Zealand, Southeast Asian countries & Africa.