Bhel may face a tech transfer glitch
Acquiring super critical technology for making 800mw units won’t be a smooth affair for Bhel.
By Urmi A Goswami & Gunjan Pradhan Sinha , TNN |
NEW DELHI: Acquiring super critical technology for making 800mw units won’t be a smooth affair for Bhel. Though the company has been hoping to get the technology from its partners Alstom and Siemens, now other heavy electrical equipment manufacturers like Hitachi and Mitsubishi, too, are pitching for a share of the 800 mw units. About 8-10 such units are being developed by NTPC and states like Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Bhel, which has a technology transfer agreement with Alstom and Siemens for the 800 mw super critical systems, has been making a case for the allocation of these projects. If these eight-ten projects are allocated to the Bhel consortium, it will facilitate technology transfer.
India doesn’t have indigenous capability to manufacture such super critical systems. India is keen on acquiring this energy-efficient technology. However, unless Bhel is offered an opportunity to manufacture these units in collaboration with a foreign agency, a technology transfer will not be feasible.
Neither Siemens nor Alstom can be expected to transfer technology to make Bhel self-reliant unless there have firm orders for eight to ten units totalling 7,000 mw. When technology transfer takes place, the import component will gradually reduce. This is the route taken by Bhel for technology transfer in 500mw units.
Among power project developers in India, only NTPC has the capability for placing orders for eight to ten units at a time. However, for NTPC, the crucial issue is how does it place orders on a negotiated basis with the Bhel consortium. Ideally, going by cost reduction, NTPC would issue tenders and award the projects to the lowest bidder. That will not assure projects for the Bhel consortium.
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Sources said that BHEL consortium need to work out its proposal with reference to international benchmark prices. For NTPC, it becomes an issue of balancing costs with long-term technology gains for the country. Sources said BHEL is vying for four projects in this plan period on a nomination basis.In case the company gets these orders it will meet the targets for its order book position in this plan period. Moreover, given the country’s ambition to meet power production targets in the Eleventh Plan period it is necessary that these projects are commissioned now.
BHEL has collaborated with Siemens and Alstom for the project to get super critical technology for the 80 mw projects. Currently BHEL has expertise only in the 500 mw power projects. While BHEL has tied up with Siemens for power generators, Alstom is providing the company with boilers.
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