BHEL bags first key power project in Telangana

BHEL will set up first Supercritical Thermal Power Plant in newly formed state of Telangana. The company has bagged contract worth Rs. 3,810 crore.

The order is for setting up the 1×800 MW Supercritical Thermal Power Plant on EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) basis at Kothagudem in Khammam District of Telangana. To this effect, an advance cheque of Rs. 350 crore was handed over by the Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrasekhar Rao to Chairman & Managing Director, BHEL, B. Prasada Rao.

The project is targeted to be commissioned in 36 months on fast track basis with both BHEL and TSGENCO setting up teams to expedite clearances and execution of the project. BHEL has been a long standing partner in the development of the erstwhile undivided state of Andhra Pradesh with 84 per cent of the coal-based power stations having been commissioned by the company.

These plants operated at a high Plant Load Factor (PLF) of 78.1 per cent as against the national average of 65.6 per cent in 2013-14. Some of these projects are Ramagundam, Vijayawada, Kothagudem and Rayalaseema. Telangana State Power Generation Corporation Limited (TSGENCO) has entered into an MoU with BHEL for construction of new thermal power plants totalling to 6,000 MW in the state in the next three years to meet the increasing demand for power, which has been identified as a crucial factor for the development of the state.

To overcome the current uncertainty of coal supply, BHEL will supply its in-house developed fuel flexible Boiler, which is capable of firing the entire range, from 100 per cent Indian to 100 per cent imported mix of coal. This in house technology will provide security against variation in design coal and the coal actually available during operation, thereby offering operational flexibility to ensure uninterrupted generation.