Against stiff International Competitive Bidding (ICB), Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has won a prestigious order for setting up a 660 MW coal-based thermal power project with supercritical parameters in Maharashtra.

Valued at over Rs 28 bn, the project will be set up as an expansion project (Unit 6) of Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MAHAGENCO)'s Bhusawal Thermal Power Station (TPS) in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra.

BHEL's scope of work for this brownfield expansion project includes design, engineering, manufacture, supply, construction, erection, testing and commissioning of 1x660 MW supercritical thermal set and civil works.

The 1,420 MW Bhusawal TPS is presently equipped with 2 sets each of 210 MW and 500 MW ratings. Notably, all these sets have been supplied and commissioned by BHEL. Reposing its confidence in BHEL's technological and project execution capabilities, MAHAGENCO has entrusted BHEL with the contract for setting up the first supercritical set at Bhusawal TPS.

The key equipment for the contract will be manufactured at BHEL's Trichy, Haridwar, Bhopal, Ranipet, Hyderabad, Jhansi, Thirumayam and Bengaluru plants while the company's Power Sector-Western Region shall be responsible for civil works and erection and commissioning of the equipment.

BHEL has a long standing partnership with MAHAGENCO and has a significant share of 81% in the coal-based power stations installed in the state by the utility. BHEL is the market leader in both the subcritical as well as the supercritical segments in the country. The company has secured orders for 50 supercritical Steam Generators (SG) and 43 supercritical Steam Turbine Generators (STG) - the highest in the country by any power equipment manufacturer. Of these, 15 SGs and 13 STGs have already achieved capacity addition.

BHEL is the largest manufacturer of power generation equipment in the country and has been a major partner in the country's vision to achieve self-reliance in energy. The company has established the capability to deliver power plant equipment of 20,000 MW per annum to fully meet India's demand for power equipment with technology suited to Indian conditions.