Bharat Heavy Electricals limited has achieved another milestone in its services business by securing two Renovation and Modernisation contracts of Hydro Electric Plants (HEPs), informed the BHEl officials.
Against stiff international competition, the company has won prestigious orders worth around Rs.430 crore for the 6x60 MW Balimela HEP of Odisha Hydro Power Corporation limited (OHPC) and the 3x60 MW Bairasiul HEP of National Hydro Power Corporation limited (NHPC), they added.
The units at both Balimela and Bairasiul have been in operation for over 35 years and the R&M of these units will result in restoration of output capacity, improvement in efficiency and reduction in auxiliary power consumption, in addition to leading to better plant availability.
The normal life expectancy of a Hydro Electric Plant is considered to be 30-35 years. In the present scenario of the resource constraint in the country, renovation and modernisation and uprating of existing Hydro Electric Projects is considered to be the best option, as this is cost- effective and requires much lesser time than setting up of greenfield hydro power projects.