Alstom or Siemens may join BHEL-NPCIL JV

Power equipment maker BHEL today said it is scouting for a third partner for its existing joint venture with the Nuclear Power Corporation and is in talks with foreign companies, including Alstom and Siemens, for manufacturing turbines for nuclear power plants.    

"The joint venture (JV) company will identify the partner in a month's time...We are talking to a number of European and German players to join as a third (partner) in BHEL-NPCIL alliance," BHEL CMD K Ravi Kumar told PTI.    

The company has been focusing for quite some time now on nuclear power generation and has said that technology tie-ups are being explored for high rating (700/1000/1600 MW) turbine-generator sets through its JV with NPCIL. The turbines would be manufactured at BHEL's Bhopal unit and the third partner, which would be a technology provider, may pick up some equity stake as well.     

"The third company may be given equity in the JV," he said without divulging the percentage share.

BHEL is already manufacturing nuclear heat exchangers for the company. The JV company has also tied-up with GE-Hitachi for making nuclear reactors and is in talks with other foreign players such as Westing House, Areva and Toshiba for supply of nuke reactors.

BHEL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NPCIL to carry out engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) activities for Nuclear Power Plants, in the last fiscal.     

The JV company will explore and evaluate the various technology options available for Steam Turbine Generator (STG) sets of 700 MW and above and also help in the development of BHEL as an indigenous source capable of designing and manufacturing STG sets of these ratings to meet the needs of various nuclear projects proposed to be set up in the country in the future.     

The company has received its first ever order for providing steam generators for 700 MWe (megawatt electric) nuclear sets.BHEL designed, manufactured and commissioned equipment accounts for around 80 per cent of NPCIL’s installed capacity of 4,120 MW.

The company has so far supplied power generating equipment of various ratings to support nearly 3,280 MW of nuclear power.      NPCIL, as a utility, and BHEL, as an EPC contractor, have worked together on several NPCIL projects.