Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has bagged prestigious orders for setting up 80 MW of Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) Power Plants on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis. Cumulatively valued at Rs 4.37 billion, the orders have been place on BHEL by Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) and Bharat Electronics (BEL).

Significantly, with these orders, BHEL’s Solar portfolio now stands at 300 MW. The SPV plants are to be set up at Neyveli, Tamilnadu (65 MW), for NLC and at Ordinance Factory premises Medak, Telangana (15 MW), for BEL.

In the previous year also, BHEL had bagged EPC orders from NTPC under domestic competitive bidding for a 50 MW SPV Power Plant at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh and for a 50 MW SPV Power Plant at Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh.

While the Anantapur project has been commissioned, the project at Mandsaur is currently under execution. BHEL manufactures solar cells and modules at its Electronics Division unit in Bengaluru, while space-grade solar panels using high efficiency cells and space-grade Battery panels are manufactured at its Electronic Systems Division, also in Bengaluru.

BHEL is one of the few companies whose solar business is backed by a dedicated R&D team at the company’s Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell Plant (ASSCP) in Gurugram. BHEL offers EPC solutions for both off-grid and grid-interactive solar PV power plants and has set up Solar Plants in various locations in India including the Lakshadweep Islands for island electrification.

Shares of the company declined Rs 3.5, or 2.34%, to trade at  Rs 145.80.  The total volume of shares traded  was  650,915 at the BSE (2.43 p.m., Friday).