BHEL, Mitsubishi in tie up for thermal pump tech

Bharat Heavy Electricals, the country's biggest power equipment supplier, has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), under which the Japanese firm will license technologies relating to pumps used in thermal power plants.

"MHI is the first Japanese company to license pump technology to a power plant maker in India. Delivery of the first pump unit produced under the agreement is expected in late 2009," a Mitsubishi statement said today.

Mitsubishi will license design and production technologies of boiler feed water pumps, boiler feed water booster pumps, circulating water pumps and condensate pumps for sub-critical and super-critical pressure power plants with generation capacities between 500-1,000 MW, it said.

The Japanese company said BHEL has been aiming to manufacture key equipment for power projects, including pumps, to build super-critical plants with more than 500 MW generation capacity. On the other hand, MHI wanted to establish a foothold into the expanding Indian market.

"The agreement between MHI and BHEL meshes the needs of both companies," it said, adding through its various initiatives in India, MHI would "aggressively" pursue business in India's rapidly growing power generation market.