BHEL to develop ultra super-critical power equipment

Centre assisting R&D effort to help PSU join global elite club

Capital goods major BHEL will soon start work to develop power equipment based on advanced ultra super-critical technology, which will put the company in the league of the world’s top energy firms that have the capacity to produce highly energy-efficient equipment.

Government sources told Financial Chronicle that the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CC­EA) would soon approve a pilot research and development project for BHEL to develop these advanced ultra super-critical (AUSC) equipment, which would then be commercialised. The government has approved a new scheme called ultra-modern super-critical coal-based thermal power technology.

The government will contribute an initial investment of about Rs 100 crore for the R&D project. Later, BHEL may need to invest between Rs 10,000 crore and Rs 12,000 crore to set up new lines to manufacture the equipment.

BHEL is already manufacturing super-critical power equipment in the 660-800 mw range. It has a technology agreement with French equipment major Alstom for super-critical boilers and was exploring a possible technology tieup with German engineering major Siemens for the ultra super-critical technology.

“The project is completely indigenous. So tieu­ps with existing global players are unlikely. BHEL will sign MoUs with several institutions for joint R&D and manufacture,” said an official at the heavy industries ministry, under whose jurisdiction BHEL oper

The company is also partnering NTPC and Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) for a 800 mw coal-fired demonstration plant with advanced ultra supercritical (AUSC) parameters, which is capable of achieving a plant efficiency of 46 per cent, the highest so far in the world. BHEL has an annual production capacity of 20,000 mw.

Among other companies, L&T has the capability to manufacture super-critical equipment. Projects of at least two joint ventures — Alstom-Bharat Forge and Toshiba-JSW — are currently under construction, though neither is introducing AUSC in India.

Coal-fired power plants based on existing supercritical technology are less polluting than conventional plants, as these have energy efficiency as high as 45 per cent compared with 30-32 per cent in case of conventional plants.

This can help reduce coal consumption and cut the release of harmful gases in the atmosphere.

The technology thus becomes important for India, which is highly dependant on coal for running power plants (more than 65 per cent of the country’s installed power generation capacity is on coal) and many of these projects face fuel shortages. India is expected to import over 170 million tonnes of coal this financial year. Coal-based plants are the most polluting way of producing power. The fear is that India would become a major polluter, as coal is projected to remain mainstay for the power sector in the years to come.

AUSC would be less polluting. Already, there is a thinking for developing power projects based on the integrated gasification combined cycle or clean coal technology. For this, a collaboration with the US is on the anvil.