BHEL commissions another 660 Mw thermal unit in UP

In the past 15 months, the PSU has added 4,300 Mw of power generation capacity in the state

State-run BHEL today said it has commissioned yet another 660 Mw coal-based supercritical thermal power unit in Uttar Pradesh.

"Notably, in the past 15 months, BHEL has added 4,300 Mw of power generation capacity in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The commissioning of the unit will result in significant improvement of electricity availability in the state of Uttar Pradesh," the company said in a statement.

The unit has been commissioned at the 3x660 Mw Prayagraj super thermal power project, located in Bara tehsil in Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh.

The project is owned by Prayagraj Power Generation Company Ltd (PPGCL), a subsidiary company of Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd.

This is the second unit of the project to be commissioned. The first unit was commissioned earlier by BHEL in December 2015 and the third unit of the project is also in an advanced stage of construction.

BHEL's scope in the project consisted of design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of the boiler and turbine-generator (BTG) package.

The key equipment for the project has been manufactured by BHEL at its Haridwar, Trichy, Hyderabad, Ranipet and Bengaluru works, while the construction of the plant was undertaken by the company's power sector-Northern Region.

BHEL has been a major partner in the power development programme of Uttar Pradesh. Significantly, over 70 per cent of UP's power generation capacity, aggregating to more than 16,500 MW, has been installed by BHEL.

Supercritical units are more efficient, eco-friendly and consume lesser coal.

BHEL has been at the forefront of installing environment friendly supercritical coal-fired power plants in the country and has secured orders for 48 steam generators and 41 turbo-generators so far.

While 12 sets of supercritical boilers and 10 sets of supercritical turbine generators have been commissioned, the balance are in various stages of execution.