BHEL to hike capacity to 15,000 MW

Kicking off the new year on a big note, Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) today announced an investment of Rs 3,200 crore in the 11th Plan to expand annual equipment manufacturing capacity to 15,000MW.

"We have just completed our first phase of expansion to increase capacity to 10,000 MW at an investment of Rs 1,200 crore. We are developing a plan to expand further," Ashok Puri, chairman and managing director of BHEL, told PTI.

Puri said the total investment of Rs 3,200 crore would be in a combination of expansion through brownfield capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. "We will be investing Rs 2,500 crore on expansion and the rest Rs 700 crore for modernisation," he said.

"We should place this (the plan) in motion in the 11th Plan (2007-2012)," he said, while cautioning "we have to create capacity as per the need, but not when the demand is on paper."