HYDERABAD, May 19: The BHEL-Siemens consortium has emerged as a favourite to bag the Rs 2,000- crore main-plant contract from the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for the 1000 mw Simhadri power project. Competing with bigwigs in the power-equipment supply and installation industry, the consortium is understood to have quoted the lowest for the contract of the prestigeous project. Other bidders, among others, include General Electric, Mutsubishi, Hitachi and L&T.This is the first time NTPC has adopted a different approach for implementing a mail-line project and reduced the number of packages to be awarded from about 80-90 to 12 for the Simhadri super thermal power project, estimated to cost Rs 3,650 crore.
Though similar approaches have been taken for smaller gas-based projects earlier, this is perhaps the first time in the country bunching of smaller works is being taken up on such a massive scale, said additional general manager and project in-charge AC Ray.
The main-plant package, estimatedto cost about Rs 2,000 crore, is the largest of these for which tenders were called. The tenders will be finalised by June, Ray said. Work on the project is proceeding at a fast clip despite initial problems with land acquisition and now the uncertainty over the continuation of OECF funding for the project. While the land problem has been resolved with the intervention of the state government, an NTPC spokesperson said there was no uncertainty over the continuation of the Japanese funding considering they were already committed to the project.
NTPC has earmarked 3,174 acres of land, of which 837 acres belong to the government, while the rest is with private hands.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
