BHEL's delay in project execution irks AP

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)'s failure to stick to the contractual schedules with regard to the execution of the thermal power projects in Andhra is making the state government restive since it has not been able to cope with the growing peak load shortages.

In a bid to bring pressure on the Navratna PSU for timely completion of these projects, state energy minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir wrote a letter to heavy industries minister Santosh Mohan Dev seeking his intervention in this regard.

The state-owned Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGenco) has placed orders with BHEL for the supply of main equipment to projects with a total capacity of 2,130 Mw.

Of this, the 220-Mw Rayalaseema Thermal Power Project (RTPP) Stage-2 was delayed by 5-6 months due to belated supplies and slow execution of works by the company, according to the state energy minister.

"Due to this delay only one unit of 210 Mw could be commissioned before the Tenth Plan and the second unit has been shifted to the Eleventh Plan though it was to be commissioned in the previous Plan period. Now I understand that this unit would be commissioned by BHEL only in September 2007," Shabbir said in his letter.

Apart from this project, work on the 500 Mw Stage-4 project of Vijayawada Thermal Power Station (VTPS) and the 500-Mw Kakatiya Thermal Power Project Stage-1 is also not going according to the schedule in spite of the availability of most of the boiler materials, the minister informed.

Both the projects are scheduled for completion during the year 2008-09.

"For instance, the drum lifting at VTPS was delayed by 4 months just for want of FMC crane. Likewise, supports for condenser, which were due in April 2007 have not been supplied so far by the company's Haridwar unit to take up condenser erection at VTPS leading to the delay in turbine erection," the minister further said in his letter.

The state energy minister, in his letter, also requested the Union minister to ask the chairman and managing director of BHEL to visit Hyderabad to apprise the government of the measures taken by the company so that the projects are not delayed further.

However, Aishwani Dhar, BHEL spokesperson in Delhi, did not accept the minister's version.

"The RTPP unit 4 has run on full load for five days, fulfiling the requirements of trial operation completion on July 10, 2007. However, the unit is facing ash evacuation problem, which is in APGenco's scope. Readiness of furnace bottom ash hopper, which is in APGenco's scope is essential for further progress," Dhar said.

With regard to the VTPS Stage-4 project, Dhar said the pressure parts erection could not be started for more than a month due to delay in clearances from the director of boilers, Andhra Pradesh.

Similarly, condenser foundations were to be made available to BHEL by the APGenco by March 31, 2007 against which TG deck has been cast only on July 7, 2007.