Technology absorption for supercritical boiler almost through: Bhel

Foundation stone for new plant at Bhandara in Maharashtra was laid in May

The Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL's) Rs 15,000-crore Tiruchirappalli unit has said that technology absorption for supercritical boilers is almost through and Research and Development (R&D) efforts for the indigenous development of Advanced Ultra Supercritical Boilers are under way.

In his Independence Day address A V Krishnan, Executive Director, BHEL Tiruchirappalli Complex said that the technology absorption for supercritical boilers, which is going to be the main business in the years to come, is almost through and R&D efforts for the indigenous development of Advanced Ultra Supercritical Boilers are underway. Efforts to commercialise Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology have gathered momentum.

He added, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have also been signed with a number of institutions for joint research and projects and manufacturing challenges had been successfully met in advanced technology areas.

On capacity Augmentation of BHEL Tiruchirappalli, Krishnan said, foundation stone for BHEL’s new plant at Bhandara in Maharashtra was laid in May, BHEL’s new Power Plant Piping Unit at Thirumayam in Pudukkottai District and Unit-II of the High Pressure Boiler Plant at Tiruchirappalli were dedicated to the Nation by the Prime Minister of India on August 2 and following the modernization of the Seamless Steel Tube Plant (SSTP) at Tiruchirappalli at an investment of Rs 159 crore, production should commence by the end of the month.

He added, new initiatives like e-Procurement, Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and Design To Cost (DTC) were going ahead full steam, multi-modal and third party logistics were being attempted, Knowledge Management and Succession Planning initiatives had been put into place and new areas of business were being identified.

Krishnan said BHEL Tiruchirappalli as a company has contributed a lot to the power sector in the country and BHEL power plant equipment stands testimony. However, improvements in processes will be vital for continued success, given the market trend of increasingly stiffer project commissioning targets and the growing squeeze on margins due to tougher competition.

He reiterated that the current year was being observed as a ‘Year of Process Improvements’ at the Tiruchirappalli unit of BHEL to drive the theme of process improvement.