Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), India’s largest power projects exporter, has figured in Gulf power contracts over decades. The recent commissioning of a gas turbine generating unit in Oman demonstrates another instance of acceptance of the company’s expertise and products in the region.

BHEL has particularly had a fruitful business relationship with Oman.

The 126 MW Fr-9E gas turbine generator (GTG) was successfully commissioned at the Qarn Alam-3 power project of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). This is the second successive project after the successful commissioning of the 2x126 MW Fr-9E PDO Amal GTG scheme in 2012.

The gas turbine generator units were engineered, manufactured and supplied by BHEL’s Hyderabad plant while the state-of-the-art control system was delivered by the company’s Bangalore works. These units have been supported with the required auxiliaries supplied by BHEL.

“The Sultanate of Oman is one of the key export territories of BHEL with various benchmark references established by the company. Beginning its success story with its first order in Oman for the Wadi Al Jizzi Power station project in 1995-96 and moving to the Qarn Alam-3 project in 2014, BHEL has secured and executed 14 major contracts which include the supply of 16 gas turbine sets in Oman alone in the past nearly two decades,” said a BHEL spokesman.

“These contracts were received from diverse sectors including PDO; utility (ministries of housing, electricity and water) and industry (Oman Cement Company), which is a testimony of BHEL’s strong presence and acceptability in the Oman market. BHEL-supplied sets today account for over 50 per cent of the power generating capacity of PDO,” he added.

In the UAE, BHEL has done business with several parties including Dubai-based International Energy Resources (IER), supplying the company four gas turbine generating units of 42 MW each. The units ordered by IER were mounted on barges for mobile power plants in different locations.

Just prior to the recent commissioning of the Oman unit, BHEL announced it signed an MoU with Yemen’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy for setting up solar photovoltaic (PV)-based power plants at different locations in Yemen.

The company is currently executing a 400 MW gas turbine-based power plant, Marib Phase-II, in Yemen.

Elsewhere in Asia, consolidating its position in overseas markets, BHEL recently signed an MoU with PT Star Vyobros, Indonesia, for setting up a 200 MW coal-fired power plant in the Sulawesi region of Indonesia. It had earlier signed an MoU with PT APAC INTI for setting up a 25 MW–30 MW solar photovoltaic-based power plant in the country’s Java region.

In Indonesia, BHEL is presently executing a coal-fired power plant for PT CKP, besides having commissioned two more coal-fired power plants in recent years.

BHEL’s global references are spread across 76 countries and include the entire gamut of its products and systems such as power plants (thermal, gas and hydro), turbines, generators, sub-stations, transformers, motors, photovoltaic modules, oilfield equipment and transportation equipment, among other items.

The cumulative overseas installed capacity of BHEL-manufactured power plants exceeds 10,000 MW in 27 countries. BHEL is currently executing various power plant projects in as many as 20 countries for installing 7,000 MW generating capacity worth over $3 billion.

SEEKING EXPORTMARKETS

A dual-power AC/DC series locomotive made by BHEL

“The company has been successful in meeting demanding requirements of international markets in terms of complexity of work as well as technological, quality and HSE requirements, financing packages and associated O&M services, to name a few,” the company said. “BHEL has proved its capability to undertake projects on a fast-track basis. It has also established its versatility to successfully meet the other varying needs of various sectors, be it captive power, utility power generation or power generation for the oil sector. Besides undertaking turnkey projects on its own, BHEL possesses the requisite flexibility to interface and complement other international companies for large projects, and has also exhibited adaptability by manufacturing and supplying intermediate products.

“The company is taking a number of strategic business initiatives to fuel further growth in overseas business. This includes firmly establishing itself in target export markets, positioning BHEL as a regular EPC contractor in the global market both in the utility and IPP segments and exploring various opportunities for setting up overseas joint ventures, etc.”

RESEARCH FOCUS

BHEL says it accords high priority to R&D.  “To remain competitive and meet customers’ expectations, BHEL lays great emphasis on the continuous upgradation of products and related technologies, and development of new products. BHEL’s commitment to the advancement of technology is reflected in its involvement in the development of futuristic technologies such as fuel cells and superconducting generators. Its investment in R&D is amongst the largest in the corporate sector in India,” the statement said.

“The IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) capital of the company grew by 21.5 per cent in 2013, taking the total to 2,170.”

The Corporate R&D division at Hyderabad leads BHEL’s research efforts in a number of areas of importance to BHEL’s product range. The company has established Centres of Excellence for simulators, computational fluid dynamics, permanent magnet machines, surface engineering, machine dynamics, intelligent machines and robotics, compressors and pumps, nanotechnology, ultra-high voltage products; power electronics and IGBT and controller technology at the electronics division, advanced fabrication technology and coal research

BHEL has established four specialised institutes – Welding Research Institute (WRI) at Tiruchirappalli, Ceramic Technological Institute at Bangalore, Centre for Electric Traction at Bhopal and the Pollution Control Research Institute at Haridwar. The Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell plant at Gurgaon pursues R&D in photovoltaic applications.